Top Maoist commander Basava Raju among 27 killed in major Chhattisgarh encounter

In one of the most significant blows to Maoist insurgency in recent years, senior Maoist commander Basava Raju was among 27 insurgents killed in a high-intensity encounter with security forces in the dense Abujhmad forests of Chhattisgarh's Narayanpur district early May 21 morning.

The joint operation, spearheaded by the District Reserve Guard (DRG) units from Narayanpur, Dantewada, Bijapur, and Kondagaon, was launched after actionable intelligence indicated the presence of a top Maoist leader in the area. Basava Raju, a central committee member of the banned Communist Party of India (Maoist), had long evaded capture and was considered one of the most elusive figures in the rebel ranks.

Abujhmad — a vast, unsurveyed forest expanse larger than the state of Goa — remains one of the last strongholds of the Maoist insurgency. Stretching across multiple districts including Bijapur, Dantewada, Kanker, and parts of Maharashtra's Gadchiroli, it has served as a critical strategic base for Maoist leadership and operations.

Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Vishnu Deo Sai lauded the security forces, particularly the DRG units, for their "exceptional courage" and reiterated the state’s long-standing appeal for insurgents to surrender. “The operations are being led by our DRG jawans. I salute their bravery. We have always urged Maoists to give up violence and return to the mainstream—there’s no need to keep repeating that appeal,” Sai said.

This latest operation comes on the heels of ‘Operation Black Forest’, a 21-day offensive that concluded just weeks ago in the Karregutta hills along the Chhattisgarh-Telangana border.

That mission resulted in the deaths of 31 Maoists, dealing a severe blow to the People’s Liberation Guerrilla Army’s feared Battalion 1. Among the dead was a 16-year-old, underscoring concerns about child recruitment by Maoist forces.

The intensified counterinsurgency efforts reflect a broader strategic push by security forces to dismantle the core Maoist leadership and reclaim inaccessible rebel territories. With the elimination of Basava Raju and several of his close aides, the insurgency in central India is likely to face a leadership vacuum — a pivotal moment in India's decades-long internal security battle.