Wed May 21 15:30:08 UTC 2025: **Headline: India Claims Decisive Victory Against Maoist Rebels with Death of Top Leader**
**Chhattisgarh, India** – Indian security forces have dealt a significant blow to the decades-long Naxalite rebellion, killing 27 Maoist rebels, including their top leader, Nambala Keshav Rao, alias Basavaraju, in an operation in Chhattisgarh, Home Minister Amit Shah announced Wednesday. Rao, identified as the general-secretary of the banned Communist Party of India-Maoist group, was described by Shah as the “topmost leader and the backbone” of the Naxal movement.
“This is the first time in three decades… that a general-secretary-ranked leader has been neutralised by our forces,” Shah stated, praising the security forces for this “major breakthrough.”
The operation, conducted primarily by the District Reserve Guard special police force, followed intelligence reports indicating the presence of senior Maoist leaders in the area, according to a senior state police official, Vivekanand Sinha. A police commando was also killed during the ensuing gun battle, local police official P Sundarraj confirmed.
In addition to the 27 fatalities, authorities reported the arrest of 54 individuals and the surrender of 84 alleged Naxalites in Chhattisgarh, Telangana, and Maharashtra in follow-up operations.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi lauded the security forces’ “remarkable success,” reaffirming the government’s commitment to “eliminating the menace of Maoism.” Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Vishnu Deo Sai echoed this sentiment, urging Maoists to surrender.
The Naxalite rebellion, inspired by Maoist ideology, originated in 1967 in Naxalbari, West Bengal. At its peak, the movement controlled a significant portion of the country, but has been steadily losing ground in recent years due to sustained government offensives. Over the past year, Indian forces claim to have killed at least 400 rebels, including 31 in a large-scale operation last week.
While the government celebrates this latest victory, the Maoists have previously expressed a willingness to engage in dialogue, conditioned on the withdrawal of security forces and a halt to ongoing operations. Despite these offers, the conflict continues with security forces continuing to carry operations, and claiming success as these operations unfold.
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