New Delhi [India]: Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Wednesday praised a significant breakthrough in India’s fight against Naxalism, confirming that 27 Maoists, including CPI-Maoist general secretary Nambala Keshav Rao, alias Basavaraju, were neutralized in a major operation conducted in Chhattisgarh’s Narayanpur district.
In a post on X, Amit Shah called the event unprecedented, marking the first time in three decades of India’s anti-Naxal efforts that a general secretary-ranked Maoist leader has been eliminated.
A landmark achievement in the battle to eliminate Naxalism. Today, in an operation in Narayanpur, Chhattisgarh, our security forces have neutralized 27 dreaded Maoists, including Nambala Keshav Rao, alias Basavaraju, the general secretary of CPI-Maoist, topmost leader, and the…
— Amit Shah (@AmitShah) May 21, 2025
“A landmark achievement in the battle to eliminate Naxalism. Today, in an operation in Narayanpur, Chhattisgarh, our security forces have neutralized 27 dreaded Maoists, including Nambala Keshav Rao, alias Basavaraju, the general secretary of CPI-Maoist, topmost leader, and the backbone of the Naxal movement,” Shah posted.
“This is the first time in three decades of Bharat’s battle against Naxalism that a general secretary-ranked leader has been neutralized by our forces. I applaud our brave security forces and agencies for this major breakthrough. Also glad to share that after completion of Operation Black Forest, 54 Naxalites have been arrested and 84 Naxalites have surrendered in Chhattisgarh, Telangana, and Maharashtra. The Modi government is resolved to eliminate Naxalism before the March 31, 2026,” he added.
The operation, codenamed Operation Black Forest, targeted Maoist strongholds in the Abujhmad forest region, near Karreguttalu Hill on the Chhattisgarh-Telangana border.
Earlier in the day, a fierce encounter took place between security forces and Naxals in the dense forests of Narayanpur, a key Maoist-affected area in Bastar region.
Chhattisgarh’s Deputy Chief Minister Arun Sao confirmed the success of the operation and reiterated the state government’s commitment to making Bastar free of Naxal influence.
“After the formation of our government in the state, a programme is running to make Bastar Naxal-free. In Narayanpur, more than two dozen Naxalites have been killed in an encounter. Our security forces are working diligently so that by March 2026, Bastar becomes Naxal-free,” Arun Sao told ANI.
He also confirmed that one soldier was injured during the encounter.
This operation marks a pivotal moment in the long-standing battle against Naxal insurgency, especially with the neutralization of Basavaraju, described as the “backbone of the Naxal movement.”