RAIPUR: Indian commandos shot dead the Maoist insurgent chief and 26 other guerrillas on Wednesday (May 21), the country’s home minister said, calling it a decisive blow to the decades-long conflict.
India is waging an all-out offensive against the last vestiges of the Naxalite rebellion, named after the village in the foothills of the Himalayas where the Maoist-inspired guerrilla movement began nearly six decades ago.
More than 12,000 rebels, soldiers and civilians have died since a handful of villagers rose up against their feudal lords there in 1967.
At its peak in the mid-2000s, the rebellion controlled nearly a third of the country with an estimated 15,000 to 20,000 fighters.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi said he was “proud of our forces for this remarkable success”, adding that the government was “committed to eliminating the menace of Maoism and ensuring a life of peace and progress”.
In the latest incident, 27 rebels were killed in the central state of Chhattisgarh, including Nambala Keshav Rao, alias Basavaraju, the general secretary of the banned Communist Party of India-Maoist group, interior minister Amit Shah said.
“This is the first time in three decades of Bharat’s (India’s) battle against Naxalism that a general secretary-ranked leader has been neutralised by our forces,” he said in a statement.
“I applaud our brave security forces and agencies for this major breakthrough,” Shah added, calling Rao the “topmost leader, and the backbone of the Naxal movement”.
Shah said that in wider operations 54 people had been arrested, and a further 84 Naxalites had surrendered in the states of Chhattisgarh, Telangana, and Maharashtra.
“RED CORRIDOR”
Shah repeating a vow to crush the rebels, saying that the “Modi government is resolved to eliminate Naxalism” before Mar 31 next year.
The firefight broke out deep inside a forest in Chhattisgarh’s Narayanpur district, a remote and densely wooded region that has long served as a Maoist stronghold.
Senior state police official Vivekanand Sinha said the gun battle took place after intelligence reports indicated the presence of “top Maoist leaders” in the area.
A police commando also died during the fierce action, said local police chief P Sundarraj.
A crackdown by Indian troops in a stretch of territory known as the “Red Corridor” has killed more than 400 rebels since the beginning of 2024, according to government data.
Police said they had killed 31 Maoist rebels during a three-week operation this month aimed at capturing a strategic hill range.
The conflict has also seen several deadly attacks on government forces. A roadside bomb killed at least nine Indian troops in January.
Last month, the Maoists said they were ready for dialogue if the government withdrew security forces and halted the ongoing offensive.
“In the interests of the people, our party is always ready for peace talks,” the top body of the Maoists said in a statement.
