The Turning Tide: Basava Raju Among 26 Naxals Neutralized
In a major offensive against left-wing extremism, 26 Maoists were gunned down by security forces in an intense encounter in the Abujhmad forests of Chhattisgarh’s Narayanpur district. Among those neutralized was Basava Raju, a top leader of the banned Communist Party of India (Maoist) and one of India’s most wanted insurgents.
According to Chhattisgarh Deputy Chief Minister Vijay Sharma, the encounter marks one of the most successful anti-Naxal operations in recent years, with multiple high-ranking Maoists believed to be among the dead. The operation, spearheaded by the District Reserve Guard (DRG), spanned four districts — Narayanpur, Dantewada, Bijapur, and Kondagaon — and was based on credible intelligence about the presence of senior Maoist leadership in the Abujhmad area.
Understanding the Naxal-Free India Operation
This operation is part of the government’s larger strategic mission to make India Naxal-free, an initiative aimed at eliminating the decades-old insurgency that has claimed thousands of lives across central India.
The “Naxal-Free India” campaign, under the leadership of Union Home Minister Amit Shah, has brought together intelligence agencies, state police forces, and elite counter-insurgency units in a coordinated assault on Maoist strongholds. The government’s approach has shifted from reactive to proactive and intelligence-driven strikes, particularly targeting leadership nodes, logistical hubs, and training camps.
The Chhattisgarh Offensive: A String of Tactical Wins
The encounter in Abujhmad follows a series of well-orchestrated operations this year:
· Operation Black Forest, launched on April 21 near the Chhattisgarh-Telangana border, saw the killing of 31 Maoists in a 21-day-long standoff in the Karregutta hills. The operation inflicted significant damage on Battalion 1 of the Maoists’ armed wing, People’s Liberation Guerrilla Army (PLGA).
· Two weeks ago, 15 more Naxals were killed in Bijapur near the same Karregutta zone, reinforcing the effectiveness of sustained ground action and continuous surveillance.
These cumulative efforts have decapitated Maoist leadership networks, disrupted their supply chains, and forced surviving cadres to retreat or surrender.
Amit Shah’s Unflinching Resolve
Union Home Minister Amit Shah has repeatedly reaffirmed the central government’s zero-tolerance policy towards Maoist violence. He hailed recent successes as a testament to the “new India’s determination to eliminate internal threats.” His stance has remained consistent: development and peace will follow once terror is rooted out from within.
Shah’s leadership has also emphasized better coordination between states, enhanced logistics and intelligence infrastructure, and rebuilding civil administration in previously inaccessible red zones.
A Nation Reclaiming Its Forests
The killing of Basava Raju isn’t just a tactical win—it is a symbolic moment in India’s decades-long struggle against Maoist insurgency. Abujhmad, once known as a lawless wilderness, is now being reclaimed by the Republic.
But as the forest smoke clears, India must remember: peace is not just won by the gun, but sustained by governance. True victory will come when roads replace rebel trails, schools rise where bunkers stood, and the next generation sees books, not bullets, as their future.
The path to a Naxal-free India has never looked clearer — but it must now also be made irreversible.
(With inputs from agencies)
