Chhattisgarh: In a historic breakthrough in India's decades-long battle against Naxalism, the government on Tuesday, June 10 announced that Operation Black Forest had resulted in the killing of 27 hardcore Maoists in the forests of Chhattisgarh, including Basavaraju, the most senior leader of the CPI (Maoist).
This marks the first time in 30 years that a General Secretary-ranked Maoist leader has been eliminated. In addition to the neutralisations, 54 Maoists were arrested and 84 surrendered, in what officials are calling a turning point in the anti-Maoist offensive.
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Three-Week Strike at Naxal Strongholds
The operation, described as the largest of its kind in India’s anti-Maoist history, was the result of a coordinated, high-stakes campaign by the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) and Chhattisgarh Police. According to reports, Operation Black Forest conducted in May, lasted over three weeks and was centered in the Kurragutta hills near the Chhattisgarh-Telangana border, long considered an impenetrable Maoist bastion.
Commanded and personally supervised from Raipur by CRPF Director General Gyanendra Pratap Singh, the mission led to the elimination of 31 Maoists, the destruction of major training camps, and the dismantling of key Maoist outfits like PLGA Battalion 1 and the Dandakaranya Special Zonal Committee.
The scale of recovered materials included over 300 IEDs, nearly 900 explosive bundles, BGL shells, and weapons-making machines, revealing the extent of the insurgents’ militarisation.
The Ministry of Home Affairs called it the “biggest blow to Naxalism in three decades,” with the Indian tricolour now flying over what was once the Maoist command base. Quoting Union Home Minister Amit Shah, India Today reported that the government has set March 2026 as its target for completely rooting out left-wing extremism.
