A special court in Chhattisgarh has delivered a landmark verdict in a nine-year-old case involving a deadly Naxalite ambush on security forces in Kanker district. Special Judge Vibha Pandey, presiding over the NIA Act and Scheduled Offences Court, found five individuals guilty based on the presented evidence, witness testimonies, and police case diaries. Among those convicted are high-ranking Naxalite commander Prabhakar Rao and his wife Raje Kange, both of whom played central roles in orchestrating armed resistance against state authorities in the region.
Court Sentence and Legal Charges
According to the judicial order, primary convict Prabhakar Rao and his wife Raje Kange received a two-year prison sentence under Section 147 of the Indian Penal Code for rioting. Additionally, the special court sentenced both individuals to seven years of rigorous imprisonment under Sections 38(2) and 39(2) of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA). Three other co-accused were also convicted for their involvement in the armed assault, concluding a lengthy judicial process that spanned nearly a decade.
Four Decades of Insurgency in Bastar
The convicted couple had operated a formidable insurgent network across the dense forests of the Bastar division for over 40 years. Police records reveal that Prabhakar Rao, who served as a Special Zonal Committee Member (SZDCM), faced 64 serious criminal charges in Kanker district alone. His criminal file included cases of murder, attempted murder, dacoity, landmine detonations, and armed robbery. Due to his extensive involvement in violent activities, the state government had placed a bounty of ₹25 lakh on his capture.
His wife, Raje Kange, held the rank of Divisional Committee Member (DVCM) and was equally influential within the illegal organization. Law enforcement agencies had registered 36 grave criminal cases against her for participating in ambushes and insurgency operations. The administration had announced a reward of ₹8 lakh for information leading to her arrest. Together, the couple carried a combined bounty of ₹33 lakh, reflecting the severity of the security threat they posed across the region.
The 2015 Korar Ambush Sequence
The incident dates back to 2015 in the Korar police station area of Kanker district, a territory then characterized by rugged terrain and heavy forest cover that served as a Naxalite stronghold. A joint contingent of district police and security personnel had ventured into the Korar forests on a routine patrolling mission. However, insurgent leadership had received advance intelligence regarding the movement of the security forces. Prabhakar Rao and Raje Kange arranged an armed squad in a pre-planned ambush behind rock formations and thick foliage.
As soon as the patrol team entered the designated strike zone, the insurgents initiated indiscriminate firing without warning. The attackers also attempted to detonate improvised explosive devices (IEDs) targeting the advancing security personnel in a bid to inflict heavy casualties.
Retaliation by Security Personnel and Legal Timeline
Despite the suddenness of the assault, the security forces responded swiftly by taking tactical positions and opening fire on the ambushers. Facing fierce counter-firing from the joint patrol, the insurgents realized they were being overwhelmed. Capitalizing on the dense canopy, hilly terrain, and fading light, Prabhakar Rao, Raje Kange, and their accomplices fled deep into the wilderness.
Following the encounter, law enforcement registered a case at the Korar police station under charges of attempted murder, rioting, the Explosives Act, and UAPA. Police investigators gathered forensic and circumstantial evidence over the following years, culminating in the special court's conviction after nine years of legal proceedings.
