Andhra's Jiyyannapeta mourns death of techie-turned-Maoist leader Kesava Rao
SRIKAKULAM: A pall of gloom descended over Jiyyannapeta village in Kotabommali mandal, Srikakulam, the hometown of Maoist leader Namballa Kesava Rao, alias Basava Raju, after he died in a firefight with security forces in an encounter in the dense forests of Abhujmad on the tri-junction of Narayanpur-Bijapur-Dantewada districts, Chhattisgarh.
Srikakulam SP K V Maheswara Reddy confirmed the Maoist party general secretary's demise to TNIE, citing official reports from security forces on Wednesday.
Born in 1955 in Jiyyannapeta near NH-16, Kesava Rao was the second son of Vasudeva Rao, a late government teacher, and Lakshmi Narayanamma. He is survived by his elder brother, Dhilleswara Rao, a former kabaddi player and retired Port Blair sea port chairman, and younger brother, Ram Prasad, a Visakhapatnam-based real estate businessman, and one of his two sisters.
Kesava Rao, a skilled kabaddi and volleyball player, completed his B Tech at the Regional Engineering College, Warangal. While pursuing his M Tech, he joined the People's War Group (PWG) in 1976 at the age of 21, drawn to the ideologies of leaders like Kondapalli Seetharamayya and K G Satyamurthy, and influenced by Srikakulam's anti-landlord movement.
After joining the PWG, which later became the Maoist party, Kesava Rao cut ties with his village and family, and remained unmarried.
He carried Rs 1.5 cr bounty on his head
Known for expertise in IED explosions, Kesava Rao, who carried a bounty of Rs 1.5 crore, was implicated in the 2003 attack on CM N Chandrababu Naidu at Alipiri in Tirupati, as well as the 2010 Dantewada attack, which killed 76 CRPF jawans.
His uncle, retired teacher Namballa Satyanarayana, recalled his academic brilliance, while cousin Namballa Raja Sekhar noted his dedication to the Maoist cause.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Indian Express
18 minutes ago
- Indian Express
Secret bank accounts, changing mobile numbers: How a Kota bank employee ‘defrauded' customers of crores
When a customer approached her to open a bank account, she would allegedly open a clandestine second one and secretly funnel funds into it. Then, she would allegedly invest these in the stock market. Earlier this week, a 24-year-old relationship manager of an ICICI Bank branch in Rajasthan's Kota was arrested for allegedly having fraudulently withdrawn Rs 4.6 crore from customers' accounts. According to the police, between 2022 and 2023, Sakshi Gupta, who lived in Kota, had withdrawn money from 110 accounts of 41 customers and invested them in the share market. Jitendra Singh, the Station House Officer of Uddyog Nagar police station in Kota, said Sakshi began working in the bank in 2022. To hide her activities, she allegedly changed mobile numbers connected to the accounts. Additionally, Sakshi prematurely closed a fixed deposit of 30 customers, funnelling over Rs 1.34 crore, the officer said. 'She has also invested lakhs from her family in the share market but suffered losses. We have arrested the accused from Rawatbhata, which is her hometown,' Singh said, adding that she lived in Kota with her husband. It was a series of complaints from customers that allegedly made the bank manager, Tarun Dadhich, suspicious. After some investigation of his own, he filed a police complaint on February 18, 2025. Among the victims was an elderly woman, from whose account Sakshi had allegedly transferred more than Rs 3 crore without her being aware. In a statement it issued, the ICICI bank said the FIR was filed 'immediately upon discovering the fraudulent activity'. 'The interest of our customers are of paramount importance to us,' the statement said. 'We have a zero-tolerance policy against any fraudulent activity and thus suspended the employee involved. We would like to reassure that genuine claims of impacted customers have been settled.'
Scroll.in
22 minutes ago
- Scroll.in
‘Shows apathy': Allahabad HC raps UP government for delay in disbursing Kumbh stampede compensation
The Allahabad High Court on Friday said that the delay in disbursing compensation to the families of those who died during a stampede at the Maha Kumbh Mela pilgrimage site in Prayagraj showed the Uttar Pradesh government's 'apathy to the plight of the citizens', Live Law reported. A bench of Justices Saumitra Dayal Singh and Sandeep Jain also directed the state government to furnish details of the deaths and medical handling of those who died or were injured between January 28 and the end of the pilgrimage. The Bharatiya Janata Party government in the state was also told to submit details of the number of compensation claims it had received and settled, and those that are pending. The stampede had broken out at the Maha Kumbh on January 29 as a large number of pilgrims arrived to take a holy bath on the occasion of Mauni Amavasya, a spiritually significant day in the Hindu calendar. The state government has said that at least 30 persons were killed and 60 others were injured, although several media reports have suggested that the actual toll could be significantly higher. Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Adityanath had announced financial assistance of Rs 25 lakh for those who died in the stampede. The court was hearing a plea filed by the husband of one of the persons who died. It expressed concern that the woman's body had been handed over to her family without a postmortem being conducted. The judges took note of the serious injuries reported on the woman, including a crushed rib cage, and questioned the lack of official documentation or communication with the family regarding the cause and circumstances of the death, Live Law reported. The bench directed that medical institutions and authorities in Prayagraj be made parties to the petitions and directed them to file affidavits disclosing details of all patients and dead bodies that may have been brought to the facilities and those dispatched by them between the incident and the end of the Mela. The bench was alarmed that the woman's body was handed over to the family in February but compensation was yet to be provided, according to Live Law.
Time of India
25 minutes ago
- Time of India
ATM fraud, fake RC syndicate busted in Delhi; 3 held, Photoshop used to forge documents
Delhi Police have dismantled an ATM fraud and fake RC syndicate, arresting three individuals. The investigation began after a complaint of fraudulent ATM card exchange and unauthorized withdrawals. NEW DELHI: Delhi Police busted an ATM fraud and fake registration certificate (RC) syndicate with the arrest of three individuals involved in a sophisticated scam using Photoshop to forge vehicle documents. The case was initiated on a complaint by Ikrar Salmani, who reported that two unknown men fraudulently exchanged his uncle's ATM card and withdrew Rs 43,451 from his account on May 24. Following the registration of an FIR under relevant sections of the BNS, a team launched an investigation. By analysing over 70 CCTV camera footages, the suspects were identified. On May 31, acting on a tip-off, the team apprehended Alok Yadav (30), a resident of Gautampuri, from Nathu Colony Chowk. A fake RC and scooter used in the crime were seized from him. Further interrogation led to the arrest of Vipin Kumar alias Rajender (38), a broker from Loni, Ghaziabad, who revealed the involvement of Dheeraj Singh (31), the mastermind behind the forged RCs. "Dheeraj was found using Photoshop and a vehicle info app on his mobile to create fake documents," said Deputy Commissioner of Police (Shahdara) Prashant Priya Gautam. Recoveries include the scooter, fake number plate, five ATM cards, and mobile phones containing Photoshop data. Get the latest lifestyle updates on Times of India, along with Eid wishes , messages , and quotes !
