Top Maoist leader Nambala Keshav Rao, alias Basavaraju, killed in major Bastar operation

In a landmark success for Indian security forces, Nambala Keshav Rao, also known by his alias Basavaraju, was killed during a fierce encounter in Chhattisgarh’s Narayanpur district. A total of 27 Maoists, including the topmost leader of the banned Communist Party of India (Maoist), were neutralized in the operation.

Union Home Minister Amit Shah confirmed the development on social media, calling it a "landmark achievement" in India's decades-long battle against Left-Wing Extremism. Prime Minister Narendra Modi also praised the forces for their “remarkable success.”

Basavaraju, aged 70, was the general secretary of CPI (Maoist) and considered the backbone of the movement. He took charge in 2018, following the resignation of Muppala Lakshmana Rao (Ganapathy) due to health issues.

A master strategist and guerrilla warfare expert, Basavaraju had a bounty of ₹1.5 crore on his head and was wanted in several high-profile cases, including the deadly Chintalnar ambush in 2010 that killed 74 CRPF personnel and the 2013 assassination of Salwa Judum founder Mahendra Karma.

Born in Jiyyannapeta village in Srikakulam, Andhra Pradesh, Keshav Rao was the son of a schoolteacher. He pursued engineering at REC Warangal (now NIT Warangal) but abandoned his M.Tech to join the CPI (Marxist-Leninist) People’s War in 1984. He never returned to his village after going underground.

His early involvement with the Radical Students Union during college marked the beginning of his deep entrenchment in Naxal ideology. Over the years, he rose through the ranks—becoming a central committee member in 1992 and later, the chief of the Central Military Commission after the formation of CPI (Maoist) through the merger of CPI (ML) PW and MCCI.

In 1987, he received training in explosives and ambush tactics from former LTTE operatives in Bastar's Abujhmad forests. Law enforcement agencies say he operated mostly from this region and was known for his aggressive stance and firm belief in armed revolution.

Apart from the Chintalnar massacre, Basavaraju is believed to have planned the 2003 assassination attempt on former Andhra CM Chandrababu Naidu and the 2008 Balimela attack that killed 37 Greyhounds personnel.

Authorities say Basavaraju had no recent photographs, owned no property, and lived completely off the grid for over four decades. His death marks the first time in over 30 years that a general secretary-ranked Maoist leader has been eliminated in combat, a major psychological blow to the insurgent movement.