Communist parties, their leaders, Urban Naxals outrage after killing of terrorist Basavaraju alias Keshav Rao in encounter, portray the mastermind of multiple massacres as a hero

The entire urban naxal ecosystem is in deep shock after the killing of the dreaded naxal leader Nambala Keshav Rao alias Basavaraju in an encounter with the security forces on May 21, 2025. He was among the 27 naxal terrorists killed during a fierce gunbattle with the security forces in the in Abujhmad area of the Narayanpur district of Chhattisgarh. Basavaraju, who had a bounty of ₹1.5 crore on him, was the general secretary of the banned CPI(M). He was the brain behind several lethal attacks on politicians and security forces, including the 2010 Chintalnar massacre of 76 CRPF jawans and the 2013 attack in Jhiram Ghati wherein several Congress leaders were killed.

The CPI(ML) Liberation issued a statement condemning the killing of the Basavaraju terming it a “cold-blooded extra-judicial killing”. “…it is clear that the state is spearheading Operation Kagar as an extra-judicial extermination campaign and taking credit for killing citizens and suppressing Adivasi protests against corporate plunder and militarisation in the name of combating Maoism,” read the CPI(ML) Liberation statement.

The CPI(M) called the government’s action against naxal terrorism as a “policy of killing and annihilation”. Ironically, the Maoist party which the supports armed revolution, accused the government of having a mindset that celebrates taking of human life.

CPI General Secretary D Raja also expressed his anguish on the killing of Basavaraju. “CPI strongly condemns the cold-blooded killing of a senior Maoist leader along with several Adivasis in Chhattisgarh. It is yet another instance of extrajudicial action carried out under the guise of counterinsurgency operations. The repeated use of lethal force instead of lawful arrest raises serious concerns about the State’s commitment to democratic norms and the rule of law,” he wrote on X.

Riled up urban naxals, who reject the idea of a democratic state, are quoting the Constitution and the state law to condemn the state action against naxal terrorism that has plagued several parts of the country for decades and has deprived the local communities of the opportunity to join the mainstream. They are now portraying Basavaraju, who masterminded several brutal massacres, as a ‘hero’ who was fighting for the rights of poor Adivasis.

Urban naxals wrote open letter urging government not to act against naxal terrorists

After the Modi government launched Operation Kagar at the beginning of the year to eradicate the roots of Naxalism, the urban naxals tried to negotiate with the government on behalf of the naxal terrorists. In March, the central committee of the CPI(M) expressed its willingness to engage in peace negotiations with both the central and state governments, provided they cease the Operation Kagar. This was followed by an open letter by the so-called ‘activists’ who urged the government to stop the war on ground in the name of the interests of Adivasis.

Union Home Minister has declared to eradicate Naxalism by March 2026. As of 2015, approximately 106 districts across 10 states were classified as naxal-affected. This number was reduced to 38 by 2024 and further to 18. Out of these, 12 were considered the most impacted by naxal activities, yet this figure has now fallen to just 6.

Earlier, the security forces conducted ‘Operation Black Forest’ near Karreguttalu Hill (KGH) at the Chhattisgarh-Telangana border as part of counterinsurgency. The 21-day-long operation was carried out by the joint forces of the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) and state police between April 21 and May 11. In the operation, the security forces neutralised 31 Naxals carrying a bounty of Rs 1.72 crore. A total of 214 Naxal hideouts and bunkers were destroyed in the operation and a total of 450 IEDs, 818 BGL shells, 899 bundles of was recovered.

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