Maoists admit to losses, 350 cadres killed last year

The Communist Party of India (Maoist) has admitted to significant losses, acknowledging that 357 of its cadres were killed in the past year and that “improper implementation” of their secretive tactics were to blame for the government having succeeded in its Operation Kagaar.

- Srinivasa Rao Apparasu and Ritesh Mishra

The admission, contained in a 22-page document dated June 23 and circulated by the party's Central Committee, offers a rare official acknowledgment of massive losses and strategic failure from a left-wing extremist movement that the government has vowed to uproot by April, 2026.

The most significant setback was the death of Nambala Kesava Rao, the general secretary of the outfit, on May 21.

Police officials confirmed the document was distributed among cadres and sympathisers following strategic discussions after the killing of Rao, who was known as Basvaraju.

The Maoist leadership attributed their setbacks to “improper implementation of secret methods of functioning, rules of guerrilla war and tactics formulated by the Central Committee.”