RAIPUR, May 22 – Indian security forces have killed 27 Maoist insurgents, including the group’s top leader Nambala Keshav Rao, also known as Basavaraju, in a 50-hour-long encounter in the central state of Chhattisgarh, Home Minister Amit Shah said on Tuesday.
The operation, which took place along the Narayanpur-Bijapur border, marks one of the most significant successes in India’s decades-long fight against Maoist extremism, Shah said. Basavaraju, who served as General Secretary of the banned Communist Party of India (Maoist), carried a bounty of ₹1.5 crore ($180,000) and was wanted by federal and state agencies.
“This is a landmark achievement in our battle to eliminate Naxalism,” Shah posted on social media platform X. “It is the first time in over 30 years that a general secretary-ranked Maoist leader has been neutralised.”
The Maoists, also known as Naxals, have waged an armed insurgency for more than five decades in India’s forested central and eastern regions, demanding land and jobs for the poor. The insurgency has killed thousands and remains one of India’s most pressing internal security threats.
Basavaraju’s death is expected to significantly disrupt the Maoist command structure, officials said. Another senior Maoist figure, Madhu of the Dandakaranya Special Zonal Committee, was also killed in the operation, according to sources.
The gunfight followed a coordinated search by the District Reserve Guard across four districts—Narayanpur, Dantewada, Bijapur, and Kondagaon—based on intelligence about the presence of senior Maoist cadres in the Abujhmad region.
Chhattisgarh Deputy Chief Minister Arun Sao praised the operation, saying the state aims to be free of Maoist influence by March 2026. “Our forces are operating in harsh conditions, including temperatures over 40°C. The people of Bastar want peace and development,” he said.
The clash comes weeks after security forces concluded “Operation Black Forest”, a 21-day campaign targeting Maoist camps near the Chhattisgarh-Telangana border. During that operation, 31 insurgents were killed, 214 hideouts were destroyed, and large caches of weapons and food supplies were seized.
Earlier this week, 24 Maoists, including 14 with a combined bounty of ₹28.5 lakh ($34,000), surrendered in Bijapur district, officials said.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi also hailed the success, saying it underscored the government’s commitment to ending the insurgency.
The Indian government has pledged to eradicate Maoist militancy by March 2026 through a combination of military action and development initiatives in affected regions.
