Naxal leader Basava Raju killed in encounter. Is this the end of the Maoist movement?

A top Naxal commander has been killed by Indian security forces.

Basava Raju, aka Nambala Keshava Rao, the leader of the Naxal movement, was killed alongside 26 other Naxals by security forces in Chhattisgarh.

The announcement was made by Home Minister Amit Shah.

“A landmark achievement in the battle to eliminate Naxalism. Today, in an operation in Narayanpur, Chhattisgarh, our security forces have neutralized 27 dreaded Maoists, including Nambala Keshav Rao, alias Basavaraju, the general secretary of CPI-Maoist, topmost leader, and the backbone of the Naxal movement,” Shah wrote on X.

Shah added that this is the first time a general secretary-ranked leader of the Communist Party of India (Maoist) has been eliminated by security forces.

“Proud of our forces for this remarkable success. Our Government is committed to eliminating the menace of Maoism and ensuring a life of peace and progress for our people," Modi wrote on X.

But who was Raju? What happened? And what does his death mean for the future of the Maoist movement?

Let’s take a closer look:

Who was Raju?

Raju, 70, was the general secretary of the banned Communist Party of India (Maoist).

As per Indian Express, Raju was from Andhra Pradesh’s Srikakulam.

He studied at Warangal’s Regional Engineering College.

As per News18, Raju has an MTech degree.

Raju at the time even participated in student elections.

“He was the students’ union president of REC Warangal. He contested elections under the banner of the Radical Students Union,” a top Telangana intelligence officer told the newspaper.

“This was when the whole of Warangal was influenced by radical outfits. He was one of their important recruits of the 1980s,” the officer added.

Raju was the protégé of former CPI-Maoist general secretary Mupalla Laxman Rao aka Ganpathy.

He is said to have gone to ground in 1985.

“He had been leading major operations ever since, and climbed up the ranks of the People’s War Group,” the official added.

Raju took over from Rao, who was in poor health, around 2017.

However, this was not known till 2018.

As per News18, Raju was an expert guerrilla warfare and the use of IEDs.

He was on the list of most wanted of the National Investigation Agency as well as the Telangana Police  and the Andhra Pradesh police.

As per Moneycontrol, Raju was the brains behind several high-profile attacks.

This includes the Alipiri bomb attack in October 2003 in which  hen Andhra Pradesh chief minister Chandrababu Naidu was the target.

Though Naidu survived, he fractured his right hand and received injuries to his left collarbone.

Raju also played a major role in the 2010 Dantewada attack that left 76 CRPF personnel dead.

Raju and the more than two dozen other Naxals were killed in the dense forests of Abhujmad on the tri-junction of Narayanpur-Bijapur-Dantewada districts.

As per Hindustan Times, Raju had been in Abujhmaad for at least eight years.

The operation involving personnel of DRG from Narayanpur, Dantewada, Bijapur, and Kondagaon was launched two days ago.

It was based on intelligence inputs about the presence of central committee and politburo members of Maoists, as well as senior Maad division cadres and PLGA (Peoples’ Liberation Guerilla Army) members.

As forces approached the Maoist hideout, the rebels opened indiscriminate fire.

In the retaliatory exchange, more than two dozen Maoists were killed, a senior police officer said.

A senior police officer confirmed the recovery of 27 bodies and a substantial cache of arms and ammunition.

“One DRG team member was martyred, while a few other personnel sustained injuries during the encounter. All the injured have been administered medical aid and their condition is out of danger,” he was quoted as saying by PTI.

What about the Maoist movement?

Indian Express quoted sources in the security establishment as saying this could be the beginning of the end of the Naxal movement.

Shah, remember, has vowed to root out Naxalism from Indian soil completely by March 2026.

“He was not just their ideological head but also their combat head, having grown up in the party from a very young age. His death is a major blow and the party could even be disbanded because of it,” an officer told the newspaper.

“It is almost impossible for the Maoists to regroup without him.”

“In the ideological warfare, the party’s morale would be pretty low because of this death,” the official added. “We would ask the rest of them, the politburo, to surrender as soon as possible,” an official said.

A piece in News18 Raju was a vital part of the movement’s operational capacity.

It said the movement faces a major vacuum when it comes to leadership.

The piece called the development “a tactical and psychological setback” for the Maoists.

“With a bounty of Rs 1 crore on his head, he was not only the most wanted Maoist but also the ideological and operational core of the group. His elimination could trigger confusion within the Maoist ranks, create a leadership crisis, and discourage new recruits,” the piece stated.

It added that the development also sends the message to the rest of the movement’s leaders that they are within the reach of the Indian forces.

Security officials believe the successful operation also sends a clear message to remaining Maoist leaders — that Indian forces have the capacity, intelligence, and reach to dismantle even the highest levels of the insurgent hierarchy.

It added that Raju’s death is expected to lower the morale of the cadre and disturb their plans.

However, the piece noted several leaders including Rao, Mallojula Venugopal, Mishir Besra, and Chandari Yadav remain.

Around a dozen other Maoists are currently thought to be a part of the Central Committee and Military Commission – the core leadership of the movement.

It remains to be seen whether the Maoist movement can regroup or whether it withers away.

According to PTI, 200 Naxalites have been killed in Chhattisgarh in 2025.

Of these 183 were in Bastar alone.

With inputs from agencies