The security forces on Wednesday (May 21) killed Nambala Keshava Rao, alias Basavaraju- the General Secretary and supreme commander of the CPI (Maoist)- in a prolonged and high-stakes anti-Naxal operation in Chhattisgarh's Narayanpur district. Basavaraju was among the 27 Naxals killed in the joint operation of the security forces in the Abujmarh forests of Chhattisgarh. AK-47 rifles, SLR-INSAS carbines, and other arms and ammunition in heavy numbers were recovered. One DRG jawan was martyred, and several others were injured in the operation.
What is Operation Kagar?
'Operation Kagar', the mission was launched on May 19 (Monday) by joint District Reserve Guard (DRG) teams of Chhattisgarh Police, supported by the Special Task Force (STF) and the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF). The operation culminated in a massive 50-hour-long encounter that left over 30 Maoists dead.
The offensive that brought down Basavaraj followed weeks of coordinated intelligence-gathering that tracked the movement of senior Maoist commanders in the rugged, forested tri-junction of Narayanpur, Bijapur, and Dantewada in Chhattisgarh.
Security officials recovered a significant cache of arms, ammunition, and strategic documents from the site, calling it a serious blow to the Maoist logistical and command structure in central India. Initial reports suggested several senior-level Maoist leaders from the Dandakaranya Special Zonal Committee (DKSZC) and the People's Liberation Guerrilla Army (PLGA) were either killed or seriously injured. Search operations are still underway in the area to locate any injured or fleeing cadres in the surrounding jungles.
The security forces lost one District Reserve Guard (DRG) personnel during the fierce gunfight. His body is being brought to Narayanpur district headquarters. Despite treacherous terrain and formidable resistance, Chhattisgarh's DRG and allied forces pressed on, reaffirming their commitment to dismantling Maoist strongholds in the Abujhmad region, considered the last bastion of the movement.
Know more about Basavaraju
Nambala Keshava Rao was born in 1955 in Jiyannapet village in Andhra Pradesh, Basavaraju graduated in engineering from NIT Warangal before joining the People’s War Group in the early 1980s.
He reportedly received guerrilla training from the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) in 1987 and went on to mastermind numerous Improvised Explosive Device (IED) ambushes and attacks across Maoist-affected regions.
Basavaraju was involved in several operations including-
- 2010 Dantewada massacre, where around 76 CRPF personnel were killed
- 2013 Jeeram Ghati ambush, which claimed 27 lives, including senior Congress leaders
- 2003 Alipiri bomb blast, an assassination attempt on Nara Chandrababu Naidu
- In 2018, Basavaraju took over as the General Secretary of CPI (Maoist), succeeding Muppala Lakshmana Rao alias Ganapathy, and led the movement's strategic operations from underground hideouts, evading multiple intelligence dragnets over the years.
PM Modi, Amit Shah praise efforts of Indian armed forces
Prime Minister Narendra Modi also praised the efforts of India's security forces after 27 Maoists, including top CPI-Maoist leader Nambala Keshav Rao alias Basavaraju, were killed in a major operation in Chhattisgarh's Narayanpur district.In a post on X, Prime Minister Modi said, "Proud of our forces for this remarkable success. Our Government is committed to eliminating the menace of Maoism and ensuring a life of peace and progress for our people."
Union Home Minister Amit Shah has said that this is the first time in three decades of India's battle against Naxalism that a General Secretary-ranked leader has been neutralised by the security forces.
Noting that Basavaraju was the backbone of the Naxal movement, Amit Shah said that 54 Naxalites have been arrested and that 84 Naxalites have surrendered in Chhattisgarh, after the completion of Operation Black Forest.
Basavaraju, the most-wanted Naxal in India with a bounty of around Rs 1.5 crore on his head, was the ideological and tactical brain behind some of the deadliest Maoist attacks in India. His death is being hailed by the security establishment as one of the most decisive blows to the Maoist insurgency in recent history.