Raipur, May 21: As security forces have neutralised 27 Maoists in Chhattisgarh, Union Home Minister Amit Shah has termed it as a “landmark achievement in the battle to eliminate Naxalism.”

Sharing the information on his X handle, Shah said, “Today, in an operation in Narayanpur, Chhattisgarh, our security forces have neutralised 27 dreaded Maoists, including Nambala Keshav Rao, alias Basava Raju, the general secretary of CPI-Maoist, topmost leader, and the backbone of the Naxal movement.”

He further said that this was the first time in three decades of Bharat's battle against Naxalism that a general secretary-ranked leader has been neutralised by our forces. “I applaud our brave security forces and agencies for this major breakthrough. Also glad to share that after completion of Operation Black Forest, 54 Naxalites have been arrested and 84 Naxalites have surrendered in Chhattisgarh, Telangana, and Maharashtra.”

HM Shah reaffirmed that the Modi government is resolved to eliminate Naxalism before March 31, 2026.

Speaking to IANS, Prabhat Kumar, Superintendent of Narayanpur, said the encounter had been going on since Tuesday morning.

According to senior police officials, security forces eliminated 27 Maoists in the Abujhmad forest in Narayanpur district on Wednesday morning. All 27 bodies and weapons have been recovered. Basava Raju, who had a bounty of Rs 1.5 crore on his head, was also among the Maoists killed. A DRG (District Reserve Guard) jawan was martyred in the firing.

An encounter is going on at the border of Dantewada, Narayanpur and Bijapur districts. The police had received information that Naxalite politburo member and Naxalite organisation general secretary Basava Raju was present in Boter of Abujhmad. On this basis, the force was dispatched. As soon as the jawans reached Boter of Abujhmad, the Maoists opened fire on them.

State Home Minister Vijay Sharma has described this operation of the security forces as a big success. HM Shah had earlier last month made an appeal in Bastar to Maoists to return to mainstream and partake in development activities. He also clarified that forces will not come back or make any conditional compromise.

(IANS)

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