Top Maoist commander Basava Raju, also known as Nambala Keshava Rao, was killed along with at least 26 other Maoists in a major encounter with security forces in the dense forests of Abujhmad in Narayanpur district, Chhattisgarh, on Wednesday morning. The operation, led by District Reserve Guard (DRG) teams from four districts, was launched following intelligence inputs confirming the presence of senior Maoist leaders in the area. The gunfight, which lasted several hours, also resulted in the death of one DRG jawan and injuries to several other personnel.
Basava Raju, approximately 70 years old and the general secretary of the banned CPI (Maoist), was one of India’s most wanted Maoist leaders, carrying a bounty of up to ₹1.5 crore. He was known for masterminding some of the deadliest attacks in the country, including the 2010 massacre of 76 CRPF personnel in Chintalnar and the 2013 Jhiram Ghati ambush that killed several Congress leaders.
Raju's death is being described by officials as a historic blow to the Maoist movement, leaving the organization "headless" and marking one of the most significant anti-Naxal successes in recent years. The operation follows a series of intensified anti-Maoist campaigns in the region, including a recent encounter on the Chhattisgarh-Telangana border in which 31 Maoists were killed.