Hazaribag: The killing of TSPC supremo Brajesh Singh Ganjhu in an encounter with Uttar Pradesh ATS has left the banned Tritiya Sammelan Prastuti Committee with only one major commander, Shashikant Ganjhu, security sources said.With most senior commanders either dead or in jail, Shashikant has emerged as the outfit’s only prominent face. Carrying a Rs 10 lakh reward in Jharkhand and wanted in NIA cases, he is now under close watch of Jharkhand and central security agencies. Brajesh’s death has deepened the leadership crisis in the outfit, already weakened by the arrest of second-in-command Akraman Ganjhu and other senior cadres. Continuous police and CRPF operations, arrests, surrenders and encounters have eroded its network in Chatra and adjoining districts.Shashikant, a native of Kedal village under Manatu police station in Palamu district, has more than 50 cases registered against him in Jharkhand and Uttar Pradesh, police sources said. He was associated with CPI (Maoist) in the 2000s before joining TSPC as an aide of Brajesh. His main areas of operation were Palamu and Chatra.Police sources said Shashikant has survived 13 encounters since 2010 and generally carries an AK-47. In September 2025, he escaped during an encounter at Kedal in Palamu’s Manatu area in which two policemen were killed. Surveillance on him has been intensified after Brajesh’s death.Brajesh, from Lutu Sohawan village under Lawalong police station in Chatra, was killed in Ramnagar, Varanasi. He also used aliases including Gopal Singh Bhokta, Dular Chand Ganjhu, Ranjan, Phulchand Ganjhu and Sardar.Police said Brajesh was earlier with CPI (Maoist) but broke away around 2004-05 over differences and dominance issues, helping establish TSPC. The outfit expanded across Chatra, Palamu, Latehar, Hazaribag and Ramgarh. He also had a parallel presence in village politics and was elected unopposed as mukhiya of Lawalong panchayat in 2010.Chatra SP Animesh Naithani said more than 39 cases, including murder, kidnapping, extortion, Arms Act and UAPA cases, were registered against Brajesh. Police said his squad killed two policemen and looted their weapons in 2012. He was also accused in a 2019 extortion case involving the murder of a witness.Brajesh allegedly ran an extortion network targeting bidi-leaf contractors, coal project outsourcing firms, transporters and businessmen. His name also figured in NIA terror-funding probe. Jharkhand govt had announced Rs 25 lakh and NIA Rs 5 lakh as rewards for him.
