Major Maoist hunt in Chhattisgarh: 30 killed, top leader among dead

RAIPUR: The number of Maoists killed in the encounter in Chhattisgarh has risen to 30. Among those killed is a top Maoist leader with a bounty of Rs 1 crore on his head. The deceased has been identified as Maoist leader Basavraj, also known as Nambala Keshava Rao, who served as the General Secretary of the banned Communist Party of India (Maoist). Basavraj had been actively involved in Maoist activities since the 1970s. Security agencies across the country had been searching for him.

Earlier, reports had confirmed the death of 26 Maoists in the encounter with security forces. The encounter began early in the morning in Chhattisgarh's Narayanpur district, where jawans from the District Reserve Guard (DRG) clashed with Maoists from the Abujhmarh region.

Based on intelligence inputs suggesting the presence of a senior Maoist leader in the Abujhmarh area, DRG personnel from Narayanpur, Dantewada, Bijapur, and Kondagaon were deployed for a search operation. It was during this operation that the Maoists launched an attack. Abujhmarh is a vast forested area, larger than the Indian state of Goa.

This latest encounter follows a major anti-Naxal operation named "Black Forest" conducted last month near the Chhattisgarh-Telangana border. Although the operation officially ended after 21 days, senior military officials reported that several top Maoist leaders and members of their armed wing, the People’s Liberation Guerrilla Army, were eliminated. On April 21, security forces launched the operation after receiving intelligence about the presence of leaders like Madvi Hidma and other commanders in the Karregutta hills. That encounter resulted in the killing of 15 Maoists, including a 16-year-old, according to reports.