Topmost Naxal leader Basavaraju among 27 Maoists killed in Chhattisgarh encounter

Modi, Shah praise security forces for their 'remarkable success'

- NARESH BISWANI

NEW DELHI: In what is being termed as a landmark development in India's long war against Naxalism, Union Home Minister Amit Shah announced on Wednesday that 27 Maoists, including Nambala Keshav Rao alias Basavaraju, the CPI-Maoist general secretary, have been neutralised by security forces in a significant anti-Naxal operation in Narayanpur district of Chhattisgarh.

Basavaraju, India's most wanted Maoist leader, was the highest-ranking figure in the proscribed CPI-Maoist outfit and the ideological and strategic pillar of the Naxal movement. His assassination represents the first time in more than 30 years that a general secretary-grade Maoist commander has been killed in action, representing a huge symbolic as well as operational win for the security apparatus.

Hailing from Andhra Pradesh, Basavaraju was considered the top leader and ideological backbone of the Naxal movement. His death marks a pivotal success in anti-Naxal operations.

In his early 70s, Basavaraju held a BTech degree and was known for orchestrating numerous deadly attacks on security forces. He carried a bounty of Rs 1 crore on his head in Chhattisgarh alone.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi lauded the security forces for their "remarkable success," while Union Home Minister Amit Shah called it a "landmark achievement" in the campaign to eradicate Naxalism.