Top Maoist Leader Basavaraj Reportedly Killed in Chhattisgarh Encounter
In a major counter-insurgency success, top CPI (Maoist) leader Nambala Keshavrao, also known as Basavaraj, was among 26 Naxalites killed in an intense gunfight with security forces in the dense forests of Chhattisgarh’s Abhujmad region on Wednesday.
The operation, part of Operation Kagar, was launched after intelligence inputs confirmed the presence of senior Maoist leaders in the area. The District Reserve Guard (DRG) and COBRA commandos, mobilized from four districts, were ambushed by Maoist cadres, triggering a heavy exchange of fire.
Basavaraj, the General Secretary of CPI (Maoist) and former head of its Central Military Commission, was a key strategist and long-time ideologue of the movement. His killing marks a major setback for the insurgent group’s command structure.
Also reportedly killed were Madhu, a top leader of the Dandakaranya Special Zonal Committee, and Naveen, from the group’s propaganda wing Jung.
A local police supporter died in the crossfire, and one jawan sustained injuries. According to Deputy CM Vijay Sharma, combing operations are still ongoing in the Maoist stronghold, which lies between Narayanpur and Bijapur districts.
Security forces say this strike—after earlier phases in Karreguttalu Hills and Abujhmad—aims to decapitate Maoist leadership and regain control of insurgent-dominated regions.
Basavaraj, originally from Andhra Pradesh, had joined the Maoist movement in his student days through the Radical Students Union in Warangal. He was wanted by the NIA and multiple state police forces for decades.
