Maoist Basavaraju killed: How 50-hour-long Op Kagar ended era of red terror
Security forces on Wednesday neutralised Nambala Keshava Rao, alias Basavaraju — the General Secretary and supreme commander of the CPI (Maoist) — in a prolonged and high-stakes anti-Naxal operation in the dense Abujhmad forests of Chhattisgarh's Narayanpur district.Basavaraju, the most-wanted Naxal in the country with a bounty of Rs 1.5 crore on his head, was the ideological and tactical brain behind some of the deadliest Maoist attacks in India. His death is being hailed by the security establishment as one of the most decisive blows to the Maoist insurgency in recent history.advertisementTHE RED COMMANDERBorn in 1955 in Jiyannapet village in Andhra Pradesh, Keshava Rao graduated in engineering from NIT Warangal before joining the People's War Group in the early 1980s.
He reportedly received guerrilla training from the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) in 1987 and went on to mastermind numerous Improvised Explosive Device (IED) ambushes and attacks across Maoist-affected regions.Among his most infamous operations:2010 Dantewada massacre, where 76 CRPF personnel were killed2013 Jeeram Ghati ambush, which claimed 27 lives including senior Congress leaders2003 Alipiri bomb blast, an assassination attempt on then Andhra Pradesh CM N. Chandrababu NaiduIn 2018, Basavaraju took over as the General Secretary of CPI (Maoist), succeeding Muppala Lakshmana Rao alias Ganapathy, and led the movement's strategic operations from underground hideouts, evading multiple intelligence dragnets over the years.INSIDE 'OPERATION KAGAR'advertisementThe offensive that brought down Basavaraj followed weeks of coordinated intelligence-gathering that tracked the movement of senior Maoist commanders in the rugged, forested tri-junction of Narayanpur, Bijapur, and Dantewada.Codenamed 'Operation Kagar', the operation was launched on May 19 by joint District Reserve Guard (DRG) teams of Chhattisgarh Police, supported by the Special Task Force (STF) and the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF). The operation culminated in a massive 50-hour-long encounter that left over 30 Maoists dead.Security officials recovered a significant cache of arms, ammunition, and strategic documents from the site, calling it a serious blow to the Maoist logistical and command structure in central India.Initial reports suggested several senior-level Maoist leaders from the Dandakaranya Special Zonal Committee (DKSZC) and the People's Liberation Guerrilla Army (PLGA) were either killed or seriously injured. Search operations are underway to locate any injured or fleeing cadres in the surrounding jungles.A HEAVY PRICEThe forces paid a price for the high-stakes mission — one District Reserve Guard (DRG) personnel was killed during the fierce gunfight. His body is being brought to Narayanpur district headquarters.Despite treacherous terrain and formidable resistance, Chhattisgarh's DRG and allied forces pressed on, reaffirming their commitment to dismantling Maoist strongholds in the Abujhmad region, considered the last bastion of the movement.NATIONAL REACTIONadvertisementPrime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah took to social media to congratulate the armed forces and particularly praised the Chhattisgarh Police's DRG unit for the successful execution of the operation."Proud of our forces for this remarkable success. Our Government is committed to eliminating the menace of Maoism and ensuring a life of peace and progress for our people," PM Modi wrote in a post on X.Shah hailed the encounter as 'a moment of national pride' and reaffirmed the Centre's commitment to eradicating left-wing extremism."A landmark achievement in the battle to eliminate Naxalism. 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," Amti Shah said.
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