Highest ranked leader among 27 Naxals killed
Top Maoist leader Nambala Keshav Rao was killed in Chhattisgarh, marking a significant victory against insurgency with 27 Maoists killed.
Top Maoist leader Nambala Keshav Rao or Basavaraju, was among 27 extremists gunned down by security forces in a fierce encounter inside the dense forests of Chhattisgarh, the government announced on Wednesday, marking its most significant victory against the insurgency in years.
An engineer by training, Rao was the general secretary of the banned Communist Party of India (Maoist) and considered to be the backbone of the insurgency operations in central India. He also masterminded several major attacks on security forces, including Chiltanaar ambush in which 76 jawans were killed in 2010.
“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 general secretary of CPI-Maoist, topmost leader, and the backbone of the Naxal movement,” Union home minister Amit Shah said on X.
“This is the first time in three decades of Bharat’s battle against Naxalism that a general secretary-ranked leader has been neutralised by our forces. I applaud our brave security forces and agencies for this major breakthrough,” he added.
Originally from Andhra Pradesh, Rao carried a reward of ₹1 crore on his head, joined the banned group while he was finishing his masters at the regional engineering college in Warangal, and was elevated to the powerful position seven years ago.
“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,” Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on X.
The killing of Rao represents the biggest breakthrough by the forces in the months-long fierce campaign against Maoism that has seen 200 rebels gunned down this year. At least 183 rebels were eliminated this year in the Bastar division, which includes the districts of Bijapur, Narayanpur, Dantewada and Kondagaon.
The encounter took place in the dense forests of Boter village on the tri-junction of Narayanpur-Bijapur-Dantewada districts, often considered the epicentre of the leftist insurgency. The government has deployed thousands of forces to battle the Maoists across the rebel-dominated region known as the “Red Corridor”. Security forces have effected a string of high-profile encounters that aim to push back extremists, take over their jungle hideouts and cripple their fortifications. The encounters are part of a broader government offensive against the Maoists that includes constructing roads and setting up camps in districts and areas that were once plagued by left-wing extremism.
The operation was carried out by personnel of Chhattisgarh Police’s District Reserve Guard (DRG), comprising young tribal men, including surrendered Maoists. A DRG jawan was also killed in action and some others sustained injuries, police said.
“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 March 31. 2026,” Shah said.
The development came days after security forces captured the strategic Karreguttalu hills along the Chhattisgarh-Telangana border, once under the exclusive control of Maoists, killing 31 rebels during a mammoth three-week operation involving 26,000 personnel. The operation, titled Black Forest and concluded on May 11, dismantled what authorities described as the unified headquarters of several Maoist formations, including the notorious People’s Liberation Guerrilla Army (PLGA) Battalion 1, the DKSZC, TSC, and the CRC.
Rao, 71, was considered an expert in guerrilla warfare and took over as general secretary of the proscribed CPI (Maoist) in 2018, replacing Muppala Lakshmana Rao alias Ganpathy, then 71, who stepped down from the position due to his deteriorating health condition.
Considered an expert in imparting military training and handling explosives and landmines, Rao equipped his team with sophisticated weapons. A three-layered ring of armed cadres protected him in forests and made him untraceable – till now.
An official familiar with developments said that forces got intelligence inputs about Rao around 10 days ago, when they were tracking another senior leader entering Abujhmad forest from the Bedre area.
“The operation, involving 1,100 personnel of DRG from Narayanpur, Dantewada, Bijapur, and Kondagaon, was launched on Monday afternoon on intelligence inputs about the presence of central committee and politburo members of the Maoists, as well as senior maad division cadres and PLGA (Peoples’ Liberation Guerilla Army) members,” said a senior police officer, requesting anonymity.
The officer said the jawans of the DRG cordoned off a 10 square kilometre area in the forest on Tuesday, before the encounter started.
“The CPI (Maoist) leaders were in the layer of security and therefore, it was difficult to reach them on Tuesday. It was in the early hours of Wednesday at around 2.30 am that the final encounter took place in which Basavraju was killed,” said the officer quoted above.
Officials said that a platoon of around 25 young cadres who were securing Rao was killed in the encounter. “Many automatic weapons and ammunition were recovered and more details will be provided later,” a second officer said.
Inspector General of Police, Bastar range, Sunderraj P, said that many of the deceased were yet to be identified. “The search operation is still going on and more details of arms and ammunition will be provided on Thursday,” the IG said.
Officials suggested that the death of Rao was a body blow to the insurgents who have now lost a key leadership figure. At its peak in the mid-2000s, the rebellion controlled nearly a third of the country with an estimated 15,000 to 20,000 fighters.
