CPI (Maoist) chief among 27 dead in major Bastar anti-insurgency operation
Visakhapatnam: Top Maoist leader Nambala Kesava Rao, alias Basava Raju, is among the 27 outlaws killed in a major anti-insurgency operation in Chhattisgarh's Bastar region on Wednesday.
Kesava Rao, in his late 60s, had been the general secretary of the outlawed Communist Party of India (Maoist). He carried a reward of Rs 2.02 crore on his head, one of the highest for any Maoist leader. He had been serving as the organisation's top leader since 2018, when he replaced long-time general secretary Muppala Lakshman Rao, alias Ganapathy.
Born on July 10, 1955, in Jiyyannapeta village in Andhra Pradesh's Srikakulam district, Kesava Rao came from a modest background. His father, Vasudeva Rao, worked as a teacher..
After completing his primary education in his hometown and high school in Talagaon, Kesava Rao earned a B. Tech degree from the Regional Engineering College (now NIT) in Warangal. During his college years, he was reportedly a kabaddi player and had represented Andhra Pradesh in volleyball at the national level.
Despite his family's hopes of him becoming an engineer, Kesava Rao's path took a dramatic turn. Following his arrest in 1980 after a clash with Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad members, he went underground and formally joined the People's War, marking the beginning of his 35-year journey in the Maoist movement.
Over the decades, Kesava Rao rose to prominence within the Maoist hierarchy. He joined the CPI-ML (People's War) central committee in 1992. He later became secretary of the Central Military Commission after the merger that formed CPI (Maoist) in 2004.
Security officials believe the top Maoist had been the mastermind behind numerous high-profile attacks, including the 2010 Dantewada ambush that killed 76 CRPF personnel, one of the deadliest attacks ever on Indian security forces. His leadership reportedly marked a more aggressive phase of the Maoist movement, with additional attacks, including the assassination of TDP MLA K. Sarveswara Rao and former MLA Sivari Soma in Andhra Pradesh.
At the time of his death, Kesava Rao held multiple positions within the Maoist organisation. They are politburo member, standing committee member, central committee member and editorial board member of the party's publication Awam-e-Jung.
Jiyyannapeta villagers reacted to his death stating, "We know him only through stories now. He was a bright student who once played kabaddi with his brother. He transformed into a distant revolutionary figure.”
Villagers note that the presence of Nambala family has likewise faded from the community landscape. Kesava Rao's siblings—including his elder brother Delhiswar Rao, who served as Port Blair Port chairman, have all dispersed to different locations.
No family members have visited Jiyyannapeta in recent memory. Locals point out that there is no property related to the Nambala family in Jiyyannapeta.
CPI (M-L) New Democracy Andhra Pradesh state committee secretary Diwakar condemned, what he called, the "fascist act" of killing Kesava Rao and other Maoists.
In a statement, he alleged that the government's "Operation Kagar" aims to evict tribal populations from forests to exploit natural resources for corporate interests.
The statement called for a judicial inquiry by sitting Supreme Court judges into what it described as a "fake encounter."
