Top Maoist Leader Basavaraju Likely Among 26 Killed in Bastar Encounter, Rs 1.5 Crore Bounty on Him

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Bastar: In what could mark a significant blow to the Maoist movement in India, senior police officials have said that CPI (Maoist) general secretary Nambala Keshav Rao, alias Basavaraju, is likely among the 26 Maoists killed in a fierce gun battle in the Abujhmad forest area of Chhattisgarh’s Bastar region on Wednesday.

“The operation has been going on for the last 72 hours. More than 26 Maoists were killed in the encounter on Wednesday,” said Chhattisgarh Home Minister Vijay Sharma, confirming the scale of the security offensive.

The massive anti-Maoist operation, which continues in the dense forest region, is said to be one of the largest in recent years. Police sources indicated that the body of Basavaraju, a top target with a bounty of ₹1.5 crore, may be among those recovered, though official confirmation is pending.

Basavaraju, 71, a veteran of the Maoist insurgency since the 1970s, became the general secretary of the banned Communist Party of India (Maoist) in 2018 following the death of Muppala Lakshmana Rao, alias Ganapathy. Known for his strategic acumen and underground operations, he was considered one of India’s most elusive insurgents.

If confirmed, his death would be a major strategic win for Indian security forces and a significant disruption to the Maoist command structure, which has long plagued the tribal belt of Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, Odisha, and Maharashtra.

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