Maoist Chieftain Nambala Keshav Rao Eliminated in Chhattisgarh Encounter

Top Maoist Leader Killed in Chhattisgarh

RAIPUR/HYDERABAD: Nambala Keshav Rao, also known as Basavaraju, the 70-year-old general secretary of the banned Communist Party of India (Maoist), was killed in a fierce gunfight with security forces in Narayanpur district of Chhattisgarh on Wednesday. This significant development marks a major victory in India’s ongoing battle against Naxalism.

A Decades-Long Pursuit

Union Home Minister Amit Shah confirmed the killing in a post on X, calling it a landmark achievement. He stated that this is the first time in three decades that a general secretary-ranked leader of the CPI (Maoist) has been neutralized. ‘Today, in an operation in Narayanpur, Chhattisgarh, our security forces have neutralized 27 dreaded Maoists, including Nambala Keshav Rao, alias Basavaraju, the general secretary of CPI (Maoist), topmost leader, and the backbone of the Naxal movement,’ Shah said.

Master Strategist and Hardliner

Basavaraju was considered a master Maoist strategist, known for his cunning, and adept at planning guerrilla warfare and maintaining connections with arms dealers. He had a reward of ₹1.5 crore on his head. He also had a reputation for being more hardline than his predecessor, Ganapathy, firmly believing in achieving party goals through armed resistance.

A Life in the Shadows

Basavaraju’s journey began in his native village, Jiyyannapeta, in Andhra Pradesh, where he was educated. He enrolled in an engineering program but dropped out to join the nascent Naxalite movement. For the next four decades, he remained underground, operating primarily in Chhattisgarh, Telangana, and parts of Maharashtra.

A Legacy of Violence

Throughout his tenure, Basavaraju was involved in several high-profile incidents, including:

• The 2003 claymore mine attack on Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu.
• The 2010 Chintalnar massacre, where 74 CRPF soldiers were killed in an ambush.
• The 2013 attack on Mahendra Karma, the founder of the anti-Maoist militia Salwa Judum.
• The 2008 attack on Greyhounds police in Andhra Pradesh, killing 37 personnel.

His death is a significant blow to the CPI (Maoist) and is likely to have repercussions on the movement’s operations.

Tags

“naxalism, Maoist, Basavaraju, Nambala Keshav Rao, Chhattisgarh, India”