27 Naxals, including a top Maoist leader, were killed in an encounter with security forces along the Narayanpur-Bijapur border in Chhattisgarh. The development comes after an encounter broke out between security forces and Naxals in Chhattisgarh's Narayanpur district on Wednesday, a police official said. In a major success for Indian security forces, Basavaraju, the General Secretary of the CPI (Maoist) and one of the country’s most wanted insurgents, was also killed in the encounter, as per the government sources. Basavaraju, a top-ranking Maoist leader and the brain behind several deadly attacks on security personnel and civilians, had a bounty of Rs 1 crore on his head, they added.
Naxalites opened fire when teams of District Reserve Guards of police from four districts were out on an operation in the Abhujmad area following intelligence inputs about the presence of senior cadres of the Mad division of Maoists, he said. The gunfight was still underway, and further details were awaited, the official added.
In a post on X, Home Minister Amit Shah stated that in an operation in Narayanpur and Chhattisgarh, the security forces neutralised the '27 dreaded Maoists'. "A landmark achievement in the battle to eliminate Naxalism. Today, in an operation in Narayanpur, Chhattisgarh, our security forces have neutralized 27 dreaded Maoists, including Nambala Keshav Rao, alias Basavaraju, the general secretary of CPI-Maoist, topmost leader, and the backbone of the Naxal movement. This is the first time in three decades of Bharat's battle against Naxalism that a general secretary-ranked leader has been neutralized by our forces. I applaud our brave security forces and agencies for this major breakthrough," Shah wrote in a post on X.
"Also glad to share that after completion of Operation Black Forest, 54 Naxalites have been arrested and 84 Naxalites have surrendered in Chhattisgarh, Telangana, and Maharashtra. The Modi government is resolved to eliminate Naxalism before the 31st of March 2026," he added.
Earlier this month, Union Home Minister Amit Shah said that security forces killed 31 notorious Naxals in the Kurraguttalu Hills (KGH) on the Chhattisgarh-Telangana border in the biggest ever operation against Naxalism.
In a post on X, Shah said, "Achieving a historic breakthrough in the resolve of #NaxalFreeBharat security forces killed 31 notorious naxalites in the Kurraguttalu Hills (KGH) on the Chhattisgarh-Telangana border in the biggest ever operation against Naxalism."
Congratulating the CRPF, STF and DRG soldiers on the successful completion of the operation, Home Minister Shah said that the security forces completed the biggest anti-Naxal operation in just 21 days.
"The hill on which the red terror once reigned, today the tricolour is flying proudly. Kurraguttalu hill was the unified headquarters of big Naxal organisations like PLGA Battalion 1, DKSZC, TSC & CRC, where along with Naxal training, strategies and weapons were also developed. Our security forces completed this biggest anti-Naxal operation in just 21 days and I am extremely happy that there was not a single casualty in the security forces in this operation. I congratulate our CRPF, STF and DRG soldiers who faced the Naxalites with their bravery and courage even in bad weather and inaccessible mountainous area. The whole country is proud of you," Home Minister Shah said.
The Home Minister reaffirmed the central government's stance on Naxalism, saying that India will be Naxal-free by March 31, 2026.
"Under the leadership of Prime Minister Shri @narendramodi ji, we are determined to root out Naxalism. I once again assure the countrymen that India is sure to be Naxal-free by 31 March 2026," he said.
Director General of the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF), Gyanendra Pratap Singh, confirmed that 31 Naxals were neutralised, with 28 identified