Security forces and suspected Communist Party of India (Maoist) militants exchanged fire in Jharkhand’s Bokaro district on Wednesday morning, leaving two insurgents and a Central Reserve Police Force jawan dead, police said. A second CoBRA commando was critically injured and airlifted for treatment. Inspector General (Operations) S. Michael Raj told reporters the gunfight started between 5 a.m. and 6 a.m. in the Birhordera forest area of Gomia block near Luguburu Hills and lasted for about an hour. Officers recovered the bodies of two Maoists—one identified as a member of the ₹25 lakh-rewarded Birsen squad—and seized unspecified arms and ammunition. A joint team from the state police, CRPF and its elite CoBRA unit continues to comb the dense terrain for additional insurgents. The clash follows a string of recent Maoist incidents across central India and underscores continuing security challenges in Jharkhand’s mineral-rich belt. Authorities have stepped up operations in the region, citing intelligence that rebel cadres are regrouping after earlier setbacks.