"The price of the head was crores" - Maoist commander Basavaraj killed in a 50-hour encounter

Top Maoist commander Basavaraj (real name Nambala Keshav Rao) was killed in a long encounter between police and Maoists in Chhattisgarh's Narayanpur district that lasted for more than 50 hours. A price of one crore rupees was declared on his head. At least 30 Maoists were killed in the operation along with Basavaraj.

This is considered one of the biggest successes in the anti-Maoist operation in Chhattisgarh.

Basavaraj, 65, had been on the most wanted list of the police for a long time as the chief of the Andhra Zone. He was accused of several serious crimes and was being sought by the Indian security forces for a long time. Basavaraj, also known as Nanbala Keshav Rao, played a key role as the head of the Central Military Commission (CMC) of the CPI (Maoist) and later as the party's general secretary. He was considered a key strategist and explosives expert of the Naxalite movement. His death is being seen as a major setback for the Maoist outfit's leadership.

Police sources said that the operation was launched in Abujmad area deep in Narayanpur district based on intelligence inputs. A joint team of security forces, including the District Reserve Guard (DRG) and COBRA commandos, took part in the operation. The encounter began when the Maoists opened fire on the security forces. In the protracted encounter, a 'supporter' of the security forces was killed and a jawan was injured.

Chhattisgarh Deputy Chief Minister Vijay Sharma, who also holds the Home Department, confirmed the success. He said that the operation is still ongoing and more details will be released soon. A large quantity of arms and ammunition have been recovered from the spot.

 The encounter is said to be part of the ongoing anti-Maoist operation called 'Operation Kagar'. Earlier, earlier phases of the operation were conducted in the Karreguttalu hills and Abujmad forests. Security forces said that central paramilitary forces have intensified their combing operations in this region of central India after 'Operation Sindoor'.

Security forces' operations against Maoists in Chhattisgarh have recently intensified, resulting in a significant number of Maoists being killed in the first three months of this year. Security analysts believe that Basavaraj's death will severely impact Maoist activities in the state.