Top Naxal commander among 27 shot in Chhattisgarh’s Bastar
The security forces on Wednesday achieved a major success in their operation against Maoists as 27 Naxals, including topmost leader Nambala Keshav Rao, aka Basavaraju, were killed in an encounter in the Abujhmad region of Chhattisgarh on the border of Narayanpur and Bijapur districts.
A jawan of the Chhattisgarh Police’s District Reserve Guard (DRG) was also killed while a few other personnel sustained injuries in the encounter that had begun several days ago, sources in the state police said.
The killing of Keshav Rao, a CPI-Maoist general secretary, has come as a shot in the arm for the security forces as they had recently busted a long-time base of the Naxalites located in Koreguttalu Hills of Bijapur district in Chhattisgarh (bordering Telangana). Thirtyone Naxals were killed and a huge cache of arms, ammunitions and explosives recovered. Four factories where weapons were being manufactured were also unearthed under the three-week-long offensive named Operation Black Forest.
Keshav Raocarried a bounty of Rs 1.5 crore and was wanted in connection with several deadly attacks on security forces across multiple states. A native of Jiyyannapet village in Andhra Pradesh's Srikakulam district, he was the son of a school teacher. He studied engineering at Warangal Regional Engineering College (REC) before being drawn into student activism in the 1980s.
After being arrested during a student union protest in 1980, he went underground and joined the Naxals. Over the next four decades, Rao rose through the ranks and became known for his meticulous planning, ruthless ambushes, expertise in jungle warfare and making IEDs.
Security officials believe he was the mastermind behind the 2010 Dantewada attack, one of the deadliest ever on Indian forces, in which 76 CRPF jawans were killed in Chhattisgarh. Despite the massive bounty, Rao managed to remain elusive for decades. The National Investigation Agency (NIA) had no recent photographs or confirmed details about his age.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah lauded the efforts of the security forces. “A landmark achievement in the battle to eliminate Naxalism. 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. This is the first time in three decades of Bharat's battle against Naxalism that a general secretary-ranked leader has been neutralised. I applaud our brave security forces for this major breakthrough," Shah said in a post on X.
Shah said after the completion of Operation Black Forest, 54 Naxalites had been arrested while 84 had surrendered in Chhattisgarh, Telangana and Maharashtra.
Tagging Shah's post, PM 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."
