In a crushing 72-hour anti-Maoist operation in the depths of Abujhmad forests in Chhattisgarh, Indian security forces eliminated Nambala Keshava Rao, alias Basava Raju—the General Secretary of the CPI (Maoist) and India’s most wanted insurgent.
The high-risk operation, which was carried out by the District Reserve Guard (DRG) of four districts (Narayanpur, Bijapur, Dantewada, and Kondagaon), resulted in the killing of 27 Maoists, including Raju, and his killing is seen as a historical setback for the Maoist insurgency.
Basava Raju, a graduate in engineering from REC Warangal and a local of Andhra Pradesh, had been spearheading Maoist operations for decades. He was a key figure in a string of fatal attacks, including the 2010 Dantewada massacre and the 2013 Jhiram Ghati ambush.
The Maoist group is said to be “headless” without central leadership following an apparent suicide. Officials think this may mark the start of the endgame for the Maoist movement, which has been seriously weakened over the past few years following intensive counter-insurgency operations.
This raid is the sequel to another major action along the Chhattisgarh-Telangana border where 31 Maoists were found dead, representing a turning point in India’s ongoing long-term effort to bring peace and stability back to Red Corridor regions.