Bhubaneswar, Ganesh Uike, 69, a battle-hardened Maoist leader, finally fell to the bullets of security personnel in Kandhamal district on Thursday, less than a year after taking charge of Odisha operations, officials said. Uike’s death has broken backbone of Maoist activities in Odisha: DGP Uike, a central committee member of the outfit carrying a bounty of ₹1.1 crore, was shot dead in a dense forest within Chakapad police station limits, bordering Ganjam district in Rambha forest range. A senior officer associated with the operation said Uike, despite being accompanied by three of his associates, was caught off guard. The biting cold in Kandhamal, with temperatures falling below three degrees Celsius in the jungle, likely aided security forces in neutralising the group, the officer said. Uike took charge of Odisha operations in December 2024 after previously heading the Karnataka-Kerala-Tamil Nadu south regional bureau. He was promoted to the central committee in 2020 and had worked across Chhattisgarh up to November 2024, officials said. Known by various names including Pakka Hanumantu, Rajesh Tiwari, Chamru, and Rupa, Uike …