Home Minister Amit Shah says that Nanbara Keshab Rao, aka Basavaraj, is among the 27 rebels killed in the Chhattisgarh operation.
The Indian army killed the Maoist rebel chief and dozens of other fighters, the country’s interior minister said it was calling it a decisive blow in the decades-long conflict.
India has conducted a full attack on the last group of Naxalite rebellions, a fighting movement inspired by left and right Maoists that began in 1967.
Home Minister Amit Shah announced on Wednesday that Basavaraj alias Nambara Keshab Rao is among the 27 rebels killed by security forces in central India’s Chhattisgarh state.
The Shah identified Rao as the president of the banned Communist Party of India-Maoist Group and the “best leader and backbone” of the Naxal movement.
“This was the first time this was in Bharat in 30 years. [India’s] “The battle against Naxalism, where leaders ranked in the general divisions were neutralised by our army,” he said.
“I praise our brave security forces and agencies for this big breakthrough.”
Shah said that in the wider tracking project, 54 people were arrested and an additional 84 accused Naxalites surrendered in Chhattisgarh, Telangana and Maharashtra.
The gunfight has been erupted after the intelligence report showed the presence of “top Maoist leaders” in the area.
Police commanders also died during the battle, local police officer P Sundarraj said.
Chhattisgarh Prime Minister Vishnu Deo Sai said the operation was primarily carried out by the District Reserve Guard Special Police.
“I respect their courage. We have urged Maoists to surrender. We don’t have to keep repeating it.”
Prime Minister Narendra Modi said “we are proud of our forces for this remarkable success,” adding that the government is “committed to eliminating the threat of Maoism and ensuring a life of peace and progress.”
Draisamy Raja, general secretary of the Communist Party of India, said, “The CPI, along with some adivasis in Chhattisgarh, strongly condemns the cold-blooded killing of senior Maoist leaders. This is yet another example of special actions taken under the guise of rebellion management.”
“The CPI is calling for an independent judicial investigation into this episode and the entire Kagal mission. The people of Chhattisgarh, and the people of India, want to know the truth,” he added in the X post.
The Maoist rebel movement is named after the village of Naxalbari, located at the foot of the Himalayas, which began almost 60 years ago.
Over 12,000 rebels, soldiers and civilians died as a small number of villagers confronted the feudal lords in 1967.
At its peak in the mid-2000s, the rebellion ruled almost a third of the country, with an estimated 15,000-20,000 fighters.
Government data shows that since last year, Indian soldiers have killed at least 400 rebels.
Last week, Indian security forces said the government had killed 31 Maoist rebels in what it described as the “biggest operation against Naxalism” in the region on the Chhattisgarh-Telangana border.
Eleven people recently identified as rebels have also been killed by Indian troops in Chhattisgarh and Jharkhand.
In February, security forces killed 11 fighters, and another 30 in March.
Last month, Maoists said they were ready for dialogue if the government withdraws security forces and halts ongoing attacks.
“For the benefit of the people, our party is always ready for peace negotiations,” a top Maoist group said in a statement.
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