New Delhi: Marking a significant milestone towards achieving the goal of a Maoist free Bharat, as pledged by the Union Home Minister Amit Shah, security forces in a major encounter at Abujhmad neutralised the general secretary of the Maoist group Nambala Kesav Rao alias Basavaraju on May 21.
The development marks a major blow to the Maoist outfit which is already on the backfoot in the hinterlands of Bastar in recent years. Preliminary report suggests that the operation leading to neutralisation of the supreme commander of Maoist was planned and executed with tactical brilliance.
Separate unit of District Reserve Guards (DRG) from multiple districts were mobilised as part of the operation launched on the basis of critical intelligence received from police and other intel agencies.
The operation resulted in a major success for the security forces with neutralisation of a total of 27 Maoists including the most notorious commander of the outlawed group.
“The search operation is underway. The security forces carried out this operation very tactically, which resulted in the death of CPI (Maoist) general secretary Nambala Keshava Rao alias Basavaraju. This is a great achievement for the security forces. Peace and normalcy will be restored in the area and the people of the country hope that Naxalism will be eradicated. Peace and normalcy will prevail in the area,” said IG police Bastar Sundarraj P on Wednesday.
A total of 27 bodies of Naxalites, including CPI (Maoist) general secretary Nambala Keshava Rao alias Basavaraju, have been recovered in an encounter between security forces and Naxalites in the forest area of Abujhmad in Narayanpur… Ammunition and weapons have also been recovered from the encounter site… CPI (Maoist) general secretary Nambala Keshava Rao alias Basavaraju, who was killed in the encounter, was active in Naxalite activities for the last 40-45 years. He was involved in more than 200 Naxalite activities,” he added.
#WATCH | Narayanpur | On the Narayanpur Encounter, IG Bastar P Sundarraj says, "…A total of 27 bodies of Naxalites, including CPI (Maoist) general secretary Nambala Keshava Rao alias Basavaraju, have been recovered in an encounter between security forces and Naxalites in the… pic.twitter.com/GTRm6NXfNc
— ANI (@ANI) May 22, 2025
Significantly the operation in Abujhmad was launched on the heels of security forces freeing the Karregutta hills in Bijapur along the Telangana border from Maoist’s clutches under “Operation Black Forest”.
The three-week long operation involving thousands of security personnel was turned out to be a major success for the security personnel who successfully unearthed and destroyed over 200 hideouts of the Maoists along wiping out their technical units indulged in weapon manufacturing.
The forces during the operation also succeeded in eliminating 31 Maoists in various encounters with majority of the extremists killed in action belonging to the strongest formations of the proscribed group such as the CRC Company and PLGA battalion no 1.
With back to back operations and subsequent fall of the Maoist’s strongholds in Bastar and adjoining areas in the last few years, it’s clear that the forces have entered the last leg of the ongoing war against the Maoists and the end of the decades-long conflict in the tribal heartland is now inevitable.
Maoist’s urban network and its handlers
With armed Maoist insurgency nearing its end on ground, a significant question arises about the urban network of the group which works in tandem with the armed cadres to realise the common goal of the so-called Maoist’s revolution.
It’s evident from documents adopted by the Maoist’s top brass in the year 2007 that the outlawed group works in close association with a broader network of outfits (frontal outfits) and individuals who sympathise and work for the Maoist cause in urban settlements under the ‘United Front’.
The document emphasise on the need to develop a secret party, an united front and people’s armed elements to intensify the class struggle in urban areas and mobilise support of urban masses for people’s war.
These Over Ground Workers (OWG) along with other sympathisers of the Mao’s men commonly referred as ‘Urban Naxals’ often provide cover-fire to the violence perpetrated by the extremists along with offering them legal, logistic and ideological support in time of need.
Investigation carried out by the agencies revealed that a number of such individuals and groups were involved in orchestrating violent movements and spreading hatred among masses with a larger aim to create unrest and chaos.
The violence at Bheema-Koregaon following the Elgaar-Parishad conclave is a glaring example of how the Maoist’s urban network works in close association to support the cause of the so-called revolution as unveiled in the investigation done by security agencies.
Reports suggesting participation of OWG/sympathisers/cadres of the banned group in the violent protest against the ‘Agniveer Scheme’ had also surfaced in the past.
NIA’s investigations into cases related to CPI (Maoist) have further unveiled about frontal groups involved actively in opposing the counter-insurgency operations against Maoists in Bastar.
It is being observed that such groups and individuals often get activated when the Maoists fighting with the security forces in remote areas face significant losses and compelled to retreat from their strongholds.
Security agencies have also disclosed about groups and individuals who were indulged in recruiting youths on behalf of the Maoist group while furthering the agenda of the Maoist outfit in urban areas.
It is quite unlikely that the urban network of the Maoist group will dismantle immediately with the fall of the armed cadres stationed at remote regions, even if the government succeeds in wiping out the armed insurgency in the given time frame.
It’s indeed high time that the concerned agencies should keep a vigil watch on individuals and group associated with the Maoist’s urban network which poses a significant security challenge to the country’s democratic setup, especially at a time when the armed insurgency is being wiped out from Bastar and adjoining regions.
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