West Singhbhum, Sept. 7 -- In a major joint operation, a top Naxal commander, Amit Hansda, alias Apatan, alias Chandramohan Hansda, carrying a bounty of Rs 10 lakh, was killed in an encounter with security forces in the Chaibasa area of West Singhbhum district on Sunday morning.

The operation was carried out jointly by the district police and the COBRA battalion following specific intelligence about the movement of senior CPI (Maoist) leaders in the region.

According to Jharkhand Police spokesperson and IG Operations Michaelraj S, "A hardcore naxal identified as Zonal Commander Amit Hansda was killed in an encounter with security forces comprising the district police and COBRA battalion in Chaibasa. Weapons, including an SLR rifle, have...