Wed Nov 20 06:49:41 UTC 2024: ## Top Maoist Leader Killed in Karnataka Encounter
**Udupi, Karnataka –** Vikram Gowda, a prominent Maoist leader with a 22-year history of evading capture, was killed in an alleged exchange of fire with the Anti-Naxal Force (ANF) in Udupi district on November 18th. This marks the first killing of a Maoist leader in a Karnataka encounter since 2012.
Gowda, 44, a member of the Malekudiya tribal community, was wanted for over 114 offences in Karnataka and Kerala. He was a key figure in the 2011 murder of a bamboo weaver and had been operating with the Kabini Dalam group. The ANF, acting on a tip-off regarding recent Maoist activity in the region, engaged Gowda and his associates in a shootout near Hebri. Authorities recovered a 9mm carbine machine gun at the scene. While Gowda was killed, three others escaped. No ANF personnel were injured.
Home Minister G. Parameshwara confirmed the encounter and the subsequent death of Gowda, while acknowledging the ongoing search for his three accomplices. Despite government efforts to encourage Maoist surrender and rehabilitation, Banjagere Jayaprakash, a member of the state’s rehabilitation committee, criticized Gowda’s killing and called for a judicial inquiry. The incident highlights the continued presence of Maoist activity in the region despite ongoing counter-insurgency operations.
First Piper 