Narayanpur (Chhattisgarh) | In a significant breakthrough in the ongoing fight against Naxalism, security forces in Chhattisgarh’s Bastar region have killed Nambala Keshav Rao, widely known as Basavaraju, along with 26 other dreaded Maoists in a fierce encounter.
Hailing from Andhra Pradesh, Basavaraju was considered the top leader and ideological backbone of the Naxal movement. His death marks a pivotal success in anti-Naxal operations.
In his early 70s, Basavaraju held a B.Tech degree and was known for orchestrating numerous deadly attacks on security forces. He carried a bounty of Rs 1 crore on his head in Chhattisgarh alone.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi lauded the security forces for their "remarkable success," while Union Home Minister Amit Shah called it a "landmark achievement" in the campaign to eradicate Naxalism.
The encounter began on Wednesday, two days after the launch of a coordinated anti-Maoist operation in the dense forests of Abhujmad—located at the tri-junction of Narayanpur, Bijapur, and Dantewada districts.
The operation was initiated based on intelligence inputs about the presence of top leaders from the CPI (Maoist) Central Committee, Politburo, and senior cadres of the Maad Division and the People's Liberation Guerrilla Army (PLGA).
Security forces recovered 27 bodies and a significant cache of arms from the site. One jawan from the District Reserve Guard (DRG), part of the Chhattisgarh Police, was martyred in the operation, while a few others were injured.
Reacting to the development, the Prime Minister wrote on social media: "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."
Home Minister Amit Shah emphasised the operation's importance, highlighting that it marked the first time in three decades that a Maoist leader of General Secretary rank had been neutralised.
"A landmark achievement in the battle to eliminate Naxalism. Today, in an operation in Narayanpur, Chhattisgarh, our security forces have neutralised 27 dreaded Maoists, including Nambala Keshav Rao, alias Basavaraju," the home minister said.
Shah praised the bravery of security forces and further noted that since the completion of Operation Black Forest, 54 Naxalites have been arrested and 84 others have surrendered across Chhattisgarh, Telangana, and Maharashtra.
He reiterated the government's goal to eliminate Naxalism by March 31, 2026.
Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Vishnu Deo Sai also praised the forces.
"Jari hai vijay ka sankhnad, khatm ho raha naxalwad' (the victory cry continues, Naxalism is ending). Under the leadership of the successful Prime Minister Narendra Modi, security forces have been moving ahead rapidly to fulfil the resolve of Home Minister Amit Shah to end Naxalism in the country by March 2026, and continuously achieving success," he said.
Despite facing difficult geographical conditions and many other challenges, this decisive campaign against LWE is being carried out with full commitment and determination by the DRG unit of Chhattisgarh Police, he said while expressing condolences over the death of a DRG jawan.
Deputy CM Vijay Sharma, who also holds Home portfolio, wrote on X, "Our security forces have killed 27 dreaded Maoists, including CPI-Maoist General Secretary Nambala Keshav Rao alias 'Basavaraju', during an operation in Narayanpur".
"With the strong determination of the Home Minister Amit Shah ji, our brave security forces have killed a Naxalite of General Secretary rank for the first time in 30 years. 'General Secretary' is the highest post among the Naxalites.
"All this is the result of the valour of our brave soldiers, many congratulations to them. Certainly, we will free the entire country, including Bastar, from Naxalism by March 2026," Sharma said.
Basavaraju, a native of Srikakulam district in Andhra Pradesh, had been a key figure in the Naxal movement since the 1970s.
He rose to the top leadership of CPI (Maoist) about seven years ago, around the time of a noticeable decline in Naxalite activity in Bastar. He was wanted in numerous major attacks against security forces in Chhattisgarh.
An alumnus of the country's one of premier technical institutes, the Regional Engineering College, Warangal, Basavaraju was known for his military expertise, particularly in training and explosives. He was recognised by various aliases, including Prakash, Krishna, Vijay, Umesh, and Kamlu.
Security agencies have speculated Basavaraju's age to be around 71, with only older photographs available for identification.
He carried a reward of Rs 1 crore on his head, announced by the Chhattisgarh government, with additional bounties announced in other states, including Andhra Pradesh, Maharashtra, and Telangana.
With this latest operation, a total of 200 Naxalites have been killed in separate encounters in Chhattisgarh this year, with 183 of those fatalities occurring in the Bastar division encompassing Bijapur, Narayanpur, Dantewada, and Kondagaon.
Raipur | Nambala Keshav Rao alias Basavaraju, the powerful general secretary of CPI (Maoist) killed in an encounter along with 26 others on Wednesday, had masterminded several major attacks on security forces in Chhattisgarh and his death is a big blow to the armed movement, said officials.
Hailing from Andhra Pradesh, Basavaraju, who carried a reward of Rs 1 crore on his head in Chhattisgarh, had been associated with the banned movement since 1970s and was elevated to the top post in CPI (Maoist) seven years ago, they said.
He was among the 27 dreaded Naxals killed by security forces in Chhattisgarh's Bastar region. The encounter took place in dense forests of Abhujmad on the tri-junction of Narayanpur-Bijapur-Dantewada districts.
The killing of long-hunted Maoist leader, who masterminded several major Naxalite attacks, marks the most significant achievement in efforts by the government and security forces to eliminate Left-wing extremism (LWE) from the country, the officials asserted.
Basavaraju, considered an expert in guerrilla warfare, took over as general secretary of the proscribed CPI (Maoist) in 2018, replacing Muppala Lakshmana Rao alias Ganpathy, then aged 71, who stepped down from the position due to his deteriorating health condition and age-related issues.
Ganpathy was holding the position since 2004 when the Community Party of India (Maoist) was formed with the merger of the CPI (Marxist-Leninist) (People's War) and the Maoist Communist Centre (MCC) to lead the armed movement.
Since 2018, Maoists had executed several deadly attacks in Bastar, including in Tekalgudem (Bijapur) where 22 security personnel were killed in 2021, the 2020 Minpa ambush (Sukma) wherein 17 security personnel lost their lives and Shyamgiri attack (Dantewada) in April 2019 in which BJP MLA Bhima Mandavi and four security personnel were killed.
A resident of Jiyannapeta village in Srikakulam district of Andhra Pradesh, Basavaraju holds a BTech degree from the Regional Engineering College, Warangal, and was seen as an enigmatic leader of the outlawed Naxal outfit.
Known by the aliases of Prakash, Krishna, Vijay, Umesh and Kamlu, he joined the armed movement in the 1970s as a ground-level organizer, a police official told PTI.
In 1992, he was elected as a member of the central committee of the erstwhile Communist Party of India Marxist-Leninist People's War, when Ganapathy became its general secretary, he said.
Before being elevated as general secretary, he headed the Central Military Commission (CMC) of Maoists for several years, police said.
Considered an expert in imparting military training and handling explosives and landmines, cadres of Basavaraju's team were equipped with sophisticated weapons. A three-layered ring of armed cadres he kept around him in forests had so far made him untraceable by security forces, they said.
Basavaraju's age and looks is still a matter of speculation with security agencies suggesting he was around 71 years of age. They just have a bundle of old photos of him of his young age.
For the last few years, security forces have been consistently carrying out intelligence-based operations in interiors of Bijapur and Sukma to target Central Committee and Polit Bureau members of Maoists and they finally succeeded in eliminating Basavaraju in dense jungles and tough terrain, which had kept him and his team safe so far, a police officer said on the condition of anonymity.
Polit Bureau is the topmost decision-making body of CPI (Maoist) and Basavaraju was a member of it. Wednesday's encounter was part of an operation launched three days ago to corner Central Committee and Polit Bureau members of the banned outfit, the officer said.
The encounter took place following 70-hour-long combing by security forces in dense forests of Abhujmad.
Personnel belonging to the District Reserve Guard (DRG) from four districts -- Narayanpur, Dantewada, Bijapur, and Kondagaon -- were involved in the operation based on intelligence inputs about the presence of Central Committee and Polit Bureau members of CPI (Maoist), as well as senior Maad Division cadres and PLGA (Peoples' Liberation Guerilla Army) members, he said.
DRG is the frontline anti-Naxal unit of the state police.
A large cache of weapons was recovered during the anti-Naxal operation, he said.
One DRG member was also killed, while a few other personnel sustained injuries during the encounter, the officer said.
Accused of plotting multiple Naxalite attacks, Basavaraju carried a reward of Rs 1 crore on his head in Chhattisgarh. However, governments of other states, including Andhra Pradesh, Maharashtra and Telangana, had also announced rewards of different amounts on him, he said.
Security experts hailed the operation as a historic achievement in the fight against Naxalism in the country and commended the DRG's role in the encounter.
"Basavaraju was trained in guerrilla warfare by Maoist leader Ganpathy's friend and first general secretary Sita Ramaiah. Basavaraju was chief commander of the central military wing during Ganpathy's tenure as general secretary," said Dr Girishkant Pandey, a security expert and principal at a government college in Nawagarh (Bemetara district).
"Basavaraju had no experience in running the organisation politically and therefore after his elevation as general secretary, the Maoist movement slowed down," opined Pandey.
Security forces have achieved a major success by killing this top Naxal commander after penetrating his security cover. Now the Naxalite outfit has no senior leader in the 40 to 50 age group, he added.
New Delhi | The CPI on Wednesday demanded an independent judicial probe into the killing of 27 Maoists, including top Naxal leader Nambala Keshav Rao.
Taking to X, Communist Party of India (CPI) general secretary D Raja quoted Home Minister Amit Shah's post where he said security forces have neutralised 27 dreaded Maoists. Among them was Nambala Keshav Rao, alias Basavaraju, the general secretary of CPI-Maoist.
Raja said the killing of the Maoist leader "instead of lawfully arresting him" raises serious concerns about the State's commitment to democratic norms.
"CPI strongly condemns the cold-blooded killing of senior Maoist leader along with several Adivasis in Chhattisgarh. It is yet another instance of extrajudicial action carried out under the guise of counterinsurgency operations," Raja alleged.
"If the authorities had credible intelligence about the whereabouts of the leader, why was a legal arrest not pursued? Why was due process guaranteed by the Constitution so blatantly ignored," he said.
The CPI demanded an independent judicial inquiry into the incident and the entire Operation Kagar.
"The people of Chhattisgarh and India at large deserve to know the truth. A democratic society cannot allow the State to become the judge, jury, and executioner," he said and urged "all democratic and progressive forces to raise their voices against this injustice".
CPI-Maoist general secretary Nambala Keshav Rao alias Basavaraju, the topmost leader and backbone of the Naxal movement, was among the 27 dreaded Maoists killed by security forces in Chhattisgarh on Wednesday, Shah announced.
He also said this is for 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.
Hyderabad | The killing of CPI-Maoist general secretary Nambala Keshav Rao alias Basavaraju, the topmost leader by security forces in Chhattisgarh, on Wednesday, is a big setback for the banned outfit and will definitely be a demoralising factor for its cadres, a senior Telangana police official said.
Basavaraju, who was on the most wanted list of the NIA, was among the 27 dreaded Naxals killed by security forces in Chhattisgarh's Bastar region.
"It is a big success for the government and the security forces because a top-level Maoist leader has been eliminated by the security forces. Definitely it will be a big setback and will be a demoralising (factor) for the Maoists," the Telangana Police official told PTI.
Already the Maoists are demoralised. That's why hundreds of their cadres have surrendered before Telangana police besides many being arrested, the official pointed out.
Basavaraju, a native of Andhra Pradesh, did his BTech from Regional Engineering College, Warangal. He had been associated with the banned movement since 1970s and was elevated to the toppost in CPI (Maoist) seven years ago.
Basavaraju was facing several cases in Andhra Pradesh and Telangana for planning extremist offences, official sources said.
A retired Director General of Police-rank official said the slain Maoist (Basavaraju's) might have been involved in the planning and execution of Telugu Desam Party (TDP) MLA Kidari Sarvewara Rao of Araku constituency in Andhra Pradesh in September 2018.
"When it comes to high-profile killings, the senior leadership of the Maoists is usually involved. Therefore, Basavaraju’s involvement in the TDP MLA’s murder cannot be ruled out," the former bureaucrat said.
Over 300 Maoists of various cadres have surrendered before the Telangana police so far this year besides as many as 32 ultras were also arrested from January 2025 till date.