Maoist Leader Ra's murder, heavy blow to Naxalite Movement

During a major anti-terror operation in the Indian state of Chhattisgarh, security forces eliminated 27 Maoist rebels, including Nambala Keshava Rao, who had led the group since 2017. This marks a strategic victory for the Modi government, which aims to eradicate the threat by 2026. The insurgency, in decline for years, appears increasingly isolated and lacking support among the new generation of tribal youth.

New Delhi (AsiaNews) – In the latest counter-terrorism operation launched by the Indian government, 27 rebels belonging to the Maoist group were killed, including its leader and general secretary, Nambala Keshava Rao. The clash, which occurred last Wednesday in the state of Chhattisgarh between security forces and Maoist insurgents, led to the death of Rao along with 26 others.

The death of the group’s leader represents a significant victory for Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s party, which is aiming to eliminate the Naxalite threat from the country by 2026. Rao – also known as Basavaraju – had been at the top of the Indian intelligence agency's (NIA) most-wanted list and was held responsible for numerous attacks against security forces between 2018 and 2025.

This operation is part of a broader military campaign named "Black Forest", launched in 2024 against the Maoist group. As part of the campaign, 54 rebels have been arrested and another 84 have surrendered to police across the states of Chhattisgarh, Telangana, and Maharashtra. Rao’s elimination marks a major milestone for the government, which has reaffirmed its goal of fully eradicating the Maoist threat from India by March 2026. Prime Minister Narendra Modi took to social media to express pride in the operation’s outcome, calling it a “major success”.

Rao’s death is seen as the most significant blow to the group since the assassination of Cherukuri Rajkumar, then the movement’s spokesperson, in 2010. In recent years, ongoing military offensives and anti-terrorism efforts by the government have steadily weakened the insurgency, leading to hundreds of casualties. According to official data, 287 rebels were killed in 2025 alone, all within the state of Chhattisgarh – a sign that the political movement may be nearing its end.

The Maoist insurgency, also known as the Naxalite movement and inspired by Chinese leader Mao Zedong’s ideology, began in the 1960s in West Bengal and quickly spread to over 600 districts. The group still controls a large area – known as the “Red Corridor” – spanning several states in north-eastern and central India. The movement and its political wing, the Communist Party of India (Maoist) – separate from the Marxist Communist Party – seek to overthrow the Indian Republic through a “people’s war”. They were officially banned and designated a terrorist organisation in 2009.

What remains to be seen now are the long-term consequences of Operation Black Forest and Rao’s death on the group’s future. In recent years, the movement has already faced a steep decline in recruitment and public support, especially among tribal communities. Young people, severely affected by decades of violence, appear increasingly unwilling to embrace the Maoist radical agenda, and instead express a desire for peace and an end to the conflict in the Chhattisgarh region.

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