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Time of India
21-05-2025
- Politics
- Time of India
Top CPI (M) leader Basavraj among 30 Naxals killed in Chhattisgarh operation
CPI(Maoist) general secretary N Keshava Rao alias Basavraj NEW DELHI: Top CPI(Maoist) leader Nambala Keshava Rao alias Basavraj is among the around 27-30 Naxals killed in an intelligence-based operation by the security forces in Narayanpur, according to Chhattisgarh government sources. Sources indicated that several top Naxal commanders and wanted insurgents are among those neutralised in the operation, which was on for the past three days. Chhattisgarh government and CRPF sources told TOI that apart from Basavraj, other senior CPI(Maoist) leaders may be among the deceased. Their identities are being established or confirmed before putting out an official list. Basavraj, aged 68 years, was CPI(Maoist) general secretary and member of its Politburo, Central committee and the Central Military Commission. He hailed from Jiyyannapeta in Srikakulam district of Telangana and had done engineering from the Regional Engineering College, Warangal. Basavraj carried a Rs 1 crore bounty on his head, declared by NIA and various state governments including Chhattisgarh govt. Known by at least 8 aliases — Gaganna, Prakash, Krishna, Vijay, Basavraj, Umesh, Raju and Kamlu — Keshava Rao had taken over the reins of CPI(Maoist) from Ganapathy after the latter stepped back due to age and unspecified ailments. The major anti-Naxal operation in Narayanpur, following the largest ever, 21-day Operation Blackforest in Karreguttalu Hills on the Chhattisgarh-Telangana border, killed 31 Maoists and led to recovery of a huge cache of weapons and Naxal supplies. Chhattisgarh chief minister Vishnu Deo Sai on Wednesday commended the courage and determination of the security personnel involved in the Narayanpur operation. He stated, 'Our brave soldiers have been standing firm for three days, facing extremely challenging terrain with unmatched dedication and bravery. This fight is not just against Naxals but in favor of peace and development. The entire state salutes their spirit. ' The search operation is still underway, with sources indicating that recoveries may include a large cache of weapons and other materials.
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First Post
19-05-2025
- Politics
- First Post
Operation Blackforest marks 'beginning of end of Naxalism', says CRPF chief
The 21-day Operation Blackforest along the Chhattisgarh-Telangana border is the 'beginning of the end of Naxalism', according to CRPF chief GP Singh read more Personnel belonging to the District Reserve Guard (DRG) and the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF). Source: Representative Image/PTI. Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) chief GP Singh has dubbed the anti-Naxal operation 'Blackforest' as the 'beginning of the end of Naxalism'. The 21-day operation in Karregattalu Hills on the Chhattisgarh-Telangana border has been dubbed as the largest-ever anti-Naxal operation. The authorities have said that 31 Naxals have been killed in the operation. Singh's remark comes after Union Home Minister Amit Shah set March 31, 2026 as the deadline for eliminating Naxalism from the country. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD
Time of India
18-05-2025
- Politics
- Time of India
CRPF DG: Operation Blackforest marks ‘beginning of end of Naxalism'
BIJAPUR: As CRPF DG G P Singh puts it succinctly, the 21-day 'largest-ever' anti-Naxal operation in the Karregattalu Hills on the Chhattisgarh-Telangana border was 'the beginning of the end of Left-Wing extremism'. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now Ahead of the March 31, 2026 deadline set by home minister Amit Shah to eliminate Naxalism from the country, security forces have their task cut out — keep up the pressure on Maoists by continuing to overwhelm them with sustained operations across the regions where they still operate, albeit in segregated groups with an eroded arsenal; corner them so that they are left with just two options: surrender or get neutralised; and block all avenues for the Maoists to regroup and re-enter areas now free from their hold, while also offering the locals benefits of govt's flagship schemes in the secure bubble created by CRPF's forward operating bases there. Operation Blackforest — which showcased exemplary coordination among central and state security forces, culminating in the elimination of 31 Maoists and segregating their strongest formations into disjointed, dislocated units — shall serve as a template for more intel-based actions in the days and months to come, as per sources. The follow-up operations will possibly be on a smaller scale, since the Maoists are now hiding in smaller groups, scattered across pockets of Indravati national park area, west Bastar, south Bastar, Telangana and a small portion of few other states. 'Anti-Naxal operations are currently under way in Chhattisgarh, Odisha, Jharkhand, Bihar and Maharashtra as part of a multi-front offensive to wipe out the vestiges of setups there. Already, 5-6 appeals have been made by CPI(Maoist) requesting a ceasefire and dialogue, indicating their desperation,' a senior Chhattisgarh Police official told TOI. A senior central govt functionary, however, said stopping operations may not be an option while the top CPI(Maoist) leadership is still in hiding. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now 'Let them come out and surrender their arms. We cannot talk to a 'faceless' group,' said the officer. Surrenders have already peaked this year, with 718 Maoists having joined the mainstream in the first four months as against 928 throughout 2024. 'As the pressure grows with more anti-Naxal operations, more surrenders will follow; there is already growing disenchantment within as the top Maoist leadership remains silent and safely ensconced even as the senior Maoists and cadres are getting killed,' said the functionary. Sources said that though only 31 bodies of Maoists killed in Operation Blackforest were recovered, the forces' own estimate points to 40-45 fatalities. 'At least two dead whose bodies could not be retrieved, were very senior Maoist cadres,' said a senior officer involved in the operation. The officer told TOI that intel-based, anti-Maoist operations will continue even during the monsoon, as the forces are now placed on either side of the Indravati river. 'Earlier, a swollen Indravati river and rainwater channels during monsoon would cut off access to the interior Maoist dens; now, the forces can embark on operations from the nearest FOB,' he said. With good technical intelligence, the Maoist hideouts are no longer 'dark spots'. The forces are confident that the smaller and scattered groups of Maoists/PLGA will be located and neutralised. 'The morale of the forces is high and Operation Blackforest has conditioned us physically and mentally to corner Maoists in their core area,' said a second CRPF officer. 'It is possible that Left-Wing extremism will be eliminated a few months earlier than the March 2026 deadline,' the officer said but warned that the Maoists may resort to desperate attacks like killing civilians on the pretext of being 'informers' and targeting security forces with IEDs improvised to inflict maximum casualty.
Time of India
15-05-2025
- Politics
- Time of India
Shah checks on securitymen hurt in Operation Blackforest
NEW DELHI: Home minister on Thursday visited the AIIMS trauma centre to check on and Chhattisgarh Police personnel injured in the 21-day anti-Naxal operation 'Blackforest' in the Karreguttalu Hills (KGH) on the Chhattisgarh-Telangana border. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now Though security forces suffered no fatality in the operation, injuries sustained by five of the 18 hurt personnel were serious — caused by IEDs blasts. The five personnel — an assistant commandant, a head constable and three constables of the CRPF CoBRA battalion and District Reserve Guard (DRG) — were airlifted from Raipur to Delhi between May 5 and May 14, and admitted to the AIIMS here. They were amputated but their condition is improving or stable. 'Our security forces are wiping out every trace of Naxalism with their valour. Today, visited the AIIMS trauma centre, Delhi, and met security personnel who were injured during the anti-Naxal operations eliminating 31 Naxalites in the Karegutta Hills across the Chhattisgarh and Telangana border. Inquired about their health and assured them of the trust and pride the nation takes in them,' Shah said on X. Sources said Shah later also spoke to CRPF director general G P Singh and directed that the best possible treatment and post-recovery care and rehabilitation be ensured for every injured personnel, whether from CRPF or Chhattisgarh Police. Shah, who had last year declared that Naxalism would be eliminated by the end of March, has been closely monitoring the progress of anti-Naxal operations. He was in constant touch with the CRPF brass during ' Operation Blackforest ', taking stock of developments almost on a daily basis.
Time of India
15-05-2025
- Politics
- Time of India
In a 1st, CRPF does cave interventions in ‘biggest' anti-Maoist op
File photo BIJAPUR: CRPF DG G P Singh on Wednesday said Operation Blackforest — which demolished a Maoist 'bastion' in Karregutalu Hills (KGH) on Chhattisgarh-Telangana border — saw the force try out cave interventions for the first time, for the hills housed a network of 250 cave formations used by the Maoists as convenient hideouts, arms manufacturing units and to dump explosives and rations. 'CRPF has generally been doing house or vehicle interventions. For the first time, we tried cave interventions. We had use a technique and make sure that we do not suffer casualties but neutralise the Maoists who may be there,' he told a press conference here. Singh said the forces also learnt that Naxals are now using beer bottles to make IEDs, which involve the minimum use of metal. 'This now requires ingenuity in detecting IEDs and we will be revising our SOPs accordingly,' he said. Around 450 IEDs were detected and deactivated, though 15 IEDs that went off caused some injuries to force personnel. Singh said the force has been upgrading its IED detection equipment and technology to whatever is the latest available in the world. The CRPF chief said the recovery of a whopping 818 barrel grande launcher shells (BGLs) and 450 IEDs during the operation is significant as most of the Maoist attacks on security camps so far were done using BGLs. 'Also, most of our personnel out on operations are killed or injured by IEDs,' said Singh.
