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Hindustan Times
25-05-2025
- Politics
- Hindustan Times
From Chhattisgarh, a fatal blow to Maoist insurgency
The winter of early 2014 had waned, and Manmohan Singh too was headed towards the end of a decade-long run as the Prime Minister (PM) of India. Like a whirlwind, the BJP's prime ministerial candidate, Narendra Modi, was poised to storm the portals of power in Delhi. Before officially relinquishing his post, the suave and mild-mannered Singh invited a select group of editors to a breakfast meeting. A question popped up during the general conversation to list three important issues that remained unfulfilled during his tenure. Of the three issues he cited was the Maoist insurgency, which PM Singh felt, despite the government action, was spreading across the country. He felt that if the trend continued unabated, then within a few years it would have enough firepower to create a wedge in the centre of India. His fears weren't unfounded. The Maoist insurgents were running a parallel government in many districts of Maharashtra, Telangana, and West Bengal. Their regional units decided who could bid for government contracts, and whether mobile towers could be set up or not, among other things. Even schools and police stations were under their influence. The Maoists would organise jan adalats (people's courts), hold hearings, announce sentences, and deliver punishment. Operation Greenhunt, launched in Singh's second term, had failed to achieve its objective of ending the insurgency. Singh's agenda has been completed largely by the Modi government. Last Wednesday, security forces killed the general secretary of the Communist Party of India (Maoist), Nambala Kesava Rao alias Basavaraju, in an encounter in Chhattisgarh's Narayanpur. Basavaraju headed the party's military wing, led the organisation, directed its ideology and the armed struggle. He was brutal in executing his task. The death of more than 100 soldiers is a bloody testimony to his leadership. The government had declared a ₹1.5 crore bounty on his head. His killing is a decisive blow to the Maoists. The almost 60-year-old Maoist movement had been led by leaders such as Kanu Sanyal, Charu Majumdar, Kishenji, and Ganapathy. Since Kishenji's killing and Ganapathy's stepping down from the outfit's command, doubts were raised about the precipitous fall in the number of leaders with the same depth, ideological conviction, and organising abilities. At such a critical juncture in Maoist insurgency, Basavaraju took the reins of the CPI (Maoist) in 2017, though the world learned about it only a year later, on November 10, 2018, in an official communique. Like most of his predecessors, Basavaraju was educated. He had a degree in engineering from the Regional Engineering College, Warangal. During his time in college, he gravitated towards an ultra-Left ideology. Its followers believed in what Kanu Sanyal used to say: Gore saheb gaye par kale saheb aa gaye (White bosses have left, leaving behind black bosses). These ideology-driven young men felt that on August 15, 1947, one set of rulers was replaced by another set of rulers. But soon, the gun-toting men morphed into a new class of oppressors, losing their moral authority. This is why the Maoists lost support among the people of the jungle, whom the government and we in the cities call tribals. Earlier, these jungles, land, and people acted as their protective shields. Basavaraju's post can be filled by any of his lieutenants. But the moot point is whether they can fill the void created by his demise. Analysts say that Basavaraju's successor will not be able to match his zeal and intellectual prowess. It's no surprise that Union home minister Amit Shah has given a deadline for March 2026 to end the Maoist menace. Never before has anyone seen this degree of confidence among the ruling dispensation in tackling the Maoist threat. If the Union government delivers on its promise, it would be a logical end to a bloody insurgency that began in 1967 and kept threatening the Indian State intermittently. It would help large parts of at least five states connect with the national mainstream. The Maoists and the government did not agree on the development model for this region. This stalled economic progress in the violence-affected areas. The prolonged insurgency has pushed three generations of economically backward tribal communities further into poverty. If the paramilitary forces and intelligence agencies can end the 'red war', the State will gain extra hands and resources to deal with other threats faced by the nation. The day Basavaraju was killed, an espionage module run by the Pakistani intelligence agency ISI was busted in Delhi. Many people from across the country have been arrested for spying for Pakistan in the past few days. The situation is grave. Social media has made it lethal. In such a situation, it's necessary to end the insurgency and get our forces to focus on the bigger challenges that lie ahead. Shashi Shekhar is editor-in-chief, Hindustan. The views expressed are personal
New Indian Express
22-05-2025
- Politics
- New Indian Express
Basavaraju: From BTech graduate to top Maoist functionary
SRIKAKULAM: Known as the mastermind behind major attacks on security forces in Chhattisgarh, CPI (Maoist) general secretary Namballa Keshava Rao, alias Basavaraju, had joined the movement in the 1970s and elevated to the top post in the banned outfit seven years ago, when Maoist activities in their stronghold Bastar region were appearing to be wearing out. Born in 1955 in Jiyyannapeta of Kotabommali mandal near NH-16, Keshava 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. Keshava Rao, a skilled kabaddi and volleyball player, completed his BTech 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 KG Satyamurthy, and influenced by Srikakulam's anti-landlord movement. After joining the PWG, which later became the Maoist party, he cut ties with his village and family, and remained unmarried. Known for expertise in IED explosions, Keshava Rao, who carried a bounty of Rs1.5 crore, was named in the 2003 attack on Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu at Alipiri in Tirupati, as well as the 2010 Dantewada attack, which killed 76 CRPF jawans. His uncle, retired teacher Namballa Satyannarayana, recalled his academic brilliance, while cousin Namballa Raja Sekhar noted his dedication to the Maoist cause.
New Indian Express
22-05-2025
- Politics
- New Indian Express
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.
Indian Express
21-05-2025
- Politics
- Indian Express
From radical student to armed commando: Why Basava Raju's death is a blow to Maoists
For the two states of Telangana and Andhra Pradesh, Basava Raju, who was killed in an encounter in Abujhmad on Tuesday, was synonymous with the Maoist party. The 70-year-old hailed from Vizhianagaram in Andhra Pradesh and was a student of the Regional Engineering College, Warangal. 'He was the students' union president of REC Warangal. He contested elections under the banner of the Radical Students Union,' a top intelligence officer from Telangana said. Basava Raju was known by his birth name, Nambala Keshava Rao, at the time. 'This was when the whole of Warangal was influenced by radical outfits. He was one of their important recruits of the 1980s,' the Telangana officer said. It is believed that Basava Raju went underground in 1985. 'He had been leading major operations ever since, and climbed up the ranks of the People's War Group,' the official said. The People's War Group (PWG) and the Maoist Communist Centre merged to form the CPI (Maoist) in 2004. Basava Raju's death is a major blow to the Communist Party of India (Maoist), intelligence officials in the Telugu states said, because he was the link between the northern and southern commands of the banned outfit. After Ganapathi or Muppala Keshava Rao quit the post of General Secretary of the banned outfit, Basava Raju stepped into his shoes. 'Ganapathi (70) was once known to unite the Naxalbari with the southern command of the party. He was known to have travelled the length and breadth of the country to bring the party under one umbrella. Basava Raju followed in his footsteps,' another Telangana anti-Maoist police official said. Basava Raju would be in West Bengal one day and in Srikakulam the next, all for the party, it was said in local tales, the official said. 'He was not just their ideological head but also their combat head, having grown up in the party from a very young age. His death is a major blow and the party could even be disbanded because of it,' the officer claimed, adding that there is no one in the party who could bring the cadre together like Basava Raju. 'It is almost impossible for the Maoists to regroup without him.' After Kishanji's (Mallojula Koteswara Rao) killing in 2011 at the age of 56, Basava Raju's loss will dent the party's Telugu roots, officials said. 'In the ideological warfare, the party's morale would be pretty low because of this death,' an official said. With the party finding no fresh recruits from Telangana in the past few years, the death of old cadre is fatal for the banned outfit, top officials said. 'We would ask the rest of them, the politburo, to surrender as soon as possible,' an official said.
Hindustan Times
21-05-2025
- Politics
- Hindustan Times
Who was Basavaraju, top Maoist leader killed in Abujhmad encounter?
Security forces achieved a major breakthrough in the fight against Left Wing Extremism with the killing of top Maoist leader Nambala Keshav Rao, also known as Basavaraju, in an intense encounter in the Abujhmad forests of Chhattisgarh. Basavaraju, the general secretary of the banned CPI (Maoist), was among 26 Maoists neutralised during the operation, one of the most impactful anti-Maoist successes in recent years. Basava Raju, aged around 70, had been one of India's most wanted Maoist leaders, carrying a reward of ₹1.5 crore on his head. A native of Jiyannapeta village in Andhra Pradesh's Srikakulam district, he held a BTech degree from the Regional Engineering College (REC) in Warangal. He had joined the Maoist movement in the 1970s and was known for operating under multiple aliases, including Ganganna, Krishna, Narasimha, and Prakash. He became general secretary of the CPI (Maoist) in 2018, succeeding Ganapathy, also known as Muppala Lakshman Rao, who was the party's first general secretary after the merger of the People's War Group and Maoist Communist Centre (MCC) in 2004. Ganapathy is believed to have fled to the Philippines, after leading the party for over a decade. Basava Raju was widely feared for masterminding some of the deadliest Maoist attacks in India. The Maoist leader played a key role in the 2010 massacre of 76 CRPF jawans in Chintalnar, Chhattisgarh, and the 2013 ambush at Jhiram Ghati, where several Congress leaders were killed in a brutal assault. He also did not have any recent photograph on record, making him extremely difficult to track. His areas of operation mainly included Chhattisgarh, Telangana, and parts of Maharashtra. Basavaraju was instrumental in the formation of the CPI-ML (People's War) in 1980 and rose through the ranks to become part of its central committee in 1992. After the 2004 merger that formed the CPI (Maoist), he was appointed secretary of the central military commission, where he oversaw armed operations and strategy. His death is being seen as a major setback for the Maoist movement, which has suffered significant losses in recent years. With inputs from Ritesh Mishra
