India, Dec. 26 -- Security forces shot dead a top Maoist leader who oversaw insurgent operations in Odisha, along with five other rebels, in separate encounters in two neighbouring districts of the state, officials aware of the matter said on Thursday, marking the latest blow to Left-Wing Extremism (LWE) in the country.

Ganesh Uike, a member of the Maoist central committee who carried a cumulative bounty of Rs.1.10 crore, was killed after a joint team of the Odisha Police, the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) and the Border Security Force (BSF) launched an operation in a dense forest in Kandhamal district on Thursday morning, officials said.

"Four Maoists were killed in the gunfight. One of them was identified as 69-year-old Ganesh U...