Nambala Keshav Rao, better known by his alias Basavaraju, the powerful General Secretary of the banned CPI (Maoist), was killed in an encounter in Chhattisgarh on Wednesday. Security forces confirmed his death, calling it one of the biggest setbacks for the Maoist insurgency in decades.
The encounter took place in the dense Abhujmad forests, located at the tri-junction of Narayanpur, Bijapur, and Dantewada districts. A total of 27 Maoists, including Basavaraju, were neutralized during the intense operation.
Originally from Jiyannapeta village in Andhra Pradesh’s Srikakulam district, Basavaraju carried a bounty of ₹1 crore on his head in Chhattisgarh. He was known for his strategic leadership and deep involvement in executing some of the most brutal attacks against Indian security forces.
He joined the Naxal movement in the 1970s and gradually rose through the ranks. In 1992, he became a member of the Central Committee of the then CPI (Marxist-Leninist) People’s War. Later, he headed the Central Military Commission (CMC) of the CPI (Maoist) and became its General Secretary in 2018, replacing Muppala Lakshmana Rao alias Ganapathy, who stepped down due to age and health issues.
A B Tech graduate from the Regional Engineering College, Warangal, Basavaraju was not only academically accomplished but also skilled in guerrilla warfare, explosives, and military training. His technical expertise was pivotal in designing deadly ambushes using sophisticated weapons and landmines. He was protected by a three-layered security ring of armed cadres deep inside forested areas, making him elusive to the forces for years.
During his leadership, CPI (Maoist) executed several high-casualty attacks, including the 2021 Tekalgudem ambush in Bijapur that killed 22 security personnel, the 2020 Minpa ambush in Sukma where 17 were killed, and the 2019 Shyamgiri attack in Dantewada in which BJP MLA Bhima Mandavi and four others lost their lives.
Security officials described Basavaraju’s death as a historic breakthrough in India’s long fight against Left-Wing Extremism (LWE). His removal marks a critical disruption in the Maoist command chain. Sources say the 70-hour-long combing operation was part of a coordinated offensive launched three days ago to target high-ranking Maoist leaders. The operation was based on credible intelligence focused on dismantling the Central Committee and Polit Bureau — the Maoist group’s top decision-making bodies.
While the exact age of Basavaraju remains uncertain, intelligence officials believe he was around 71 years old, though only older photographs of him are available.
