Highest ranked leader among 27 Naxals 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.

- Ritesh Mishra

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 the Chintalnar 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 Rs 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 in a post on X.