Narayanpur: Security forces on Wednesday gunned down 26 Naxals during an encounter in Chhattisgarh's Narayanpur district. Among the Naxals killed was top commander Basava Raju. Notably, it is one of the biggest anti-Naxal operations that has been underway for more than 50 hours.
The gunfight erupted in the dense Abhujmad forest in the Maad region of the district. Raju was reportedly involved in several attacks on security personnel.
Who Was Basava Raju?
Raju's father was a school teacher. He was a key conspirator in several attacks on top politicians and security personnel since the early 2000s. He was the key conspirator behind the attack on then-Andhra Pradesh CM Chandrababu Naidu on October 1, 2003, reported News18. Naidu managed to escape the attack. However, he suffered minor injuries. A series of landmine blasts were carried out by Naxalites to assassin Naidu.
Raju was also involved in the 2010 Dantewada attack on Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) personnel. In the Dantewada ambush, 76 CRPF personnel lost their lives.
The top Naxal commander reportedly pursued engineering at Warangal REC. As per the News18 report, he started taking part in Naxal activities when he was doing M.Tech.
Operation Black Forest:
Earlier this year, security forces conducted 'Operation Black Forest' to break the backbone of Naxals near Karreguttalu Hill (KGH) at the Chhattisgarh-Telangana border. In the 21-day-long operation carried out between April 21 and May 11, 31 Naxals carrying a bounty of Rs 1.72 crore were neutralised.
In February this year, Union Home Minister Amit Shah vowed to end Naxalism by March 31, 2026.
