New Delhi: It was on May 21 that a team of security personnel neutralised the general secretary of CPI (Maoist) Nambala Keasava Rao alias Basavaraju, marking a pivotal moment in Bharat’s ongoing fight against Maoist or the Naxal insurgency.
It was the first time that a Maoist leader holding the top position in the outfit was eliminated in an encounter in the four-decade long history of Maoist-insurgency in Bharat.
The development showcased the depth at which the intelligence network of security forces is operating in forested hinterlands as the forces reportedly gathered and tracked the movement of the Maoist leader for almost a fortnight before eventually launching a major offensive to neutralize him in an operation stretching over 50 hours.
The operation was spearheaded by the personnel of District Reserve Guard (DRG), a unit of the Chhattisgarh police formed to combat the Maoist-insurgents in the inaccessible forested zones of Bastar.
Who are DRG personnel?
Commonly referred as the ‘sons of soil’, DRG since its inception has been a force to look after in tough terrains of Abujhamd and other adjoining regions in Bastar, earlier identified with Maoist terror.
Operational since over a decade, the unit was initially setup in the Kanker and Narayanpur districts and later expanded to other Maoist-affected districts like Sukma, Bijapur, Kondagaon, Rajnandgaon and Dantewada.
As per reports, it was in 2015 that the then government under former CM Raman Singh announced recruitment of over 600 DRG personnel in Sukma, Bijapur, and Dantewada, providing opportunity to the local youths to don the uniform and fight against the Maoist-insurgency which had ruined the lives of locals in Bastar for decades.
Formed as a special unit to counter the well placed intel-network of the extremists and to tackle the complexities of extremely tough terrain during operations, the personnel of DRG are recruited from local youths and among the surrendered Maoist cadres after proper scrutiny.
Report indicates that majority of these surrendered Maoists are inducted in DRG only after they successfully performed their duty as ‘Gopniya Sainik’, a term associated with intelligence gathering about the banned outfit.
Upon recruitment, the DRG personnel undergo a year-long training program at state’s police academy followed by a two months special training in Jungle warfare which further enhances their natural skills to fight effectively under challenging terrains.
Familiar with the Maoist’s tactics, strategy and complexities of the tough terrain, these brave hearts have become an unalienable part of the security forces’ ongoing campaign against ‘red terror’.
In addition, their knowledge of local dialects and deep understanding of culture have further contributed in building up a strong intelligence network, crucial for carrying out successful operations in areas once considered bastion of the Maoists.
“They (DRG) have added strength to the security set up, enhancing intelligence gathering which was previously weaker than that of the Maoists. We are briskly moving towards their (Maoists) bastions and have identified their hideouts and location of weapon arsenal, the earlier shortfall of intelligence has been taken care by the DRG,” said a former official of the police.
Special units to counter Maoist terror
Right from the time when the Maoist-insurgency gripped a number of states which were part of the proposed red corridor, many felt the need to raise special units alongside the paramilitary forces such as the CRPF to contain the security challenges posed by the extremists.
In years to come separate states formed special units to tackle the issue of Maoist-insurgency with personnel trained especially in countering the augmenting footprints of the outlawed group.
In Andhra and Telangana, ‘Grey Hound’ commandos are said to be responsible mainly in launching operations and combating Maoists, whereas in Madhya Pradesh there are ‘Hawk Force’ commando.
A Similar unit namely the C-60 commando operates in the bordering Maoist affected regions of Maharashtra adjoining Chhattisgarh, a hotbed of Maoist terror since long. While in Jharkhand there are ‘Jharkhand Jaguars’ who are considered effective against tackling the Maoists in deep forested areas.
The formation of DRG and its success against Maoists in one of their strongest bastion is what can be considered the state’s answer to the call of a specialised unit trained to edge past extremists in guerilla warfare.
Recruited from the same terrain ruined by Maoists for decades, these brave hearts have shown courage and zeal to fight the Mao’s men with an aim to free their very own land from the clutches of red terror, enabling development, progress and peace to eventually make their way in the scenic landscapes of Dandkaranya.
Major operations spearheaded by DRG in 2025
Operation Black Forest
- Security forces on April 21 launched a massive offensive under “Operation Black Forest” involving thousands of personnel from separate units of security forces and police including DRG and CoBRA (an elite unit of the CRPF) at Karregutta Hills along the Telangana border.
- The operation launched with an aim to free the Karegutta Hills also known as ‘Kaala Pahad’ turned out to be a major success for the security forces as they not only managed to neutralize 31 hardcore Maoists, mostly belonging to the strongest formations of the extremists such as the PLGA battalion no 1 and the CRC company but they also destroyed weapon manufacturing units being operated from the infamous hill.
- Located along the borders of Telangana, the Karregutta hill roughly covers an area stretching around 60km in length with its breadth varying at places. The dense forested region was long being used by the Maoists as the de-facto headquarters of their ‘unified command’ since the forces tightened their grips in their other strongholds of Bastar.
- The operation stretching for over three weeks resulted in unearthing of over 200 hideouts/bunkers of the proscribed Maoist outfit alongside eradication of its 4 technical units operating from the Karregutta. The security personnel during the offensive also seized a large cache of weapons, ammunition alongside recovering ration and explosive materials in huge quantity.
Kudmel-Kalhaja-Jatloor Encounter in Abujhmad
- Personnel of DRG from separate districts launched a major campaign aimed at neutralising the dreaded Maoist leader Namabala Keasava Rao alias Basavaraju in forests of Abujhmad.
- The operation was launched after receiving credible information about the presence of supreme commander of Maoists and tracking movement of his unit for quite some time.
- In a fierce exchange of fire that broke out between the Maoists and DRG on May 21, the personnel neutralised as many as 27-28 hardcore Maoists including its top ranked leader Basavaraju.
- The operation resulted in a body blow to the Maoists as this was the first time ever that the top ranked leader of the unlawful group was killed in an encounter.
- An engineer from REC Warangal, Basavaraju was the head of the Maoist’s military wing known as the ‘Central Military Commission’ before donning the role of general secretary of the dreaded group in 2018. He was long considered the mastermind of brutal Tadmetala massacre in 2010 and Jheeram Ghati massacre in 2013. According to police, Basavaraju was directly or indirectly involved in over 250 criminal cases, a figure reflecting the threat posed by him.
- A large cache of weapons including those looted by the Maoists during the deadly attack on security forces in Dantewada in 2010 and Burkapal attack in Sukma in 2017 were also recovered following the encounter.
