File photograph: Basavaraju
At least 27 members of India’s Maoist insurgency were killed in Chhattisgarh last week, including senior leader Nambala Keshava Rao, also known as Basavaraju, marking what Indian Home Minister Amit Shah called a “historic breakthrough”.
The killings took place during a massive military offensive in Bastar, one of the last remaining strongholds of the armed movement.
Wednesday’s assault followed another deadly operation the previous week in the same central Indian state, in which 31 suspected militants were reportedly killed. The Indian government claims that at least 290 Maoist fighters have been killed in the year so far.
Amit Shah celebrated the killing of Basavaraju, describing him as a top figure in the Maoist hierarchy, and stressed it was the first time in three decades a figure with the ranks of Basavaraju had been successfully killed by government forces.
The operation is part of a broader push by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-led government to eradicate what it terms "Left Wing Extremism" by March 2026. The government states that since 2015 it has pursued a policy of coordinated and decisive counterinsurgency action, now dubbed “Operation Zero” or “Kagar”, involving over 10,000 soldiers and security personnel deployed in the forests of the Karrigatta hills, spanning Chhattisgarh and Telangana.
The Maoist insurgency, also referred to as Naxalism, has its roots in the 1960s in West Bengal, inspired by the teachings of Chinese revolutionary Mao Zedong. At its peak, the insurgency spanned approximately 180 districts across 10 states, covering about 40% of India's geographical area. In 2009, then Prime Minister, Manmohan Singh called them the “the biggest internal security challenge” facing the country.
While the Indian state celebrates what it sees as progress in crushing the movement, activists have raised serious concerns about the cost to indigenous Adivasi communities.
Over the past 16 months alone, more than 400 people alleged to be Maoist fighters have been killed in Chhattisgarh. Yet civil rights groups argue many of those killed are civilians. The People’s Union for Civil Liberties (PUCL) has identified at least 11 cases over the past 18 months as “fake encounters” - extrajudicial killings falsely labelled as legitimate military engagements.
“Since 2024, violence, human rights violations, and militarisation have increased sharply in Bastar. Innocent tribals are being killed in fake encounters,” said PUCL Chhattisgarh president Junas Tirkey.
The latest operation, which unfolded in the mineral-rich Bastar region, has also drawn attention to the economic drivers behind the militarisation. Bastar alone accounts for 19% of India’s iron ore reserves and contributes substantially to the country’s freight revenue through mineral exports. Of the 51 mineral leases in the region, 36 are currently held by private firms.
“The real issue is iron ore,” said former Member of the Legislative Assembly and tribal leader Manish Kunjam.
He recalled that in 2005, when Tata and Essar launched mining projects, the government responded by launching a campaign that forcibly evacuated 644 villages and displaced around 350,000 people. Strong resistance from local Adivasi communities eventually derailed those plans.
“Learning from that failure, the government has now set up security camps in mining zones, preparing for renewed extraction,” Kunjam explained. “Without village council approval, mining cannot proceed. If tribals protest, they will be labelled as Maoists or sympathisers and dealt with accordingly.”
There have also been unverified reports from villagers of aerial bombings using large drones in parts of Bastar. While Maoist groups have echoed these accusations, security forces have denied conducting air strikes. Still, the scale of the operation has prompted demands from civil society for a ceasefire and political dialogue.
“We, along with other civil rights groups, demanded a two-step process - an immediate ceasefire followed by peace talks, said Ranjit Sur, general secretary of the Association for Protection of Democratic Rights.
According to official data, more than 11,000 civilians and security personnel have been killed in clashes involving Maoist insurgents between 2000 and 2024.
Read more Al Jazeera here, from the BBC here and here, New York Times here.