Once trained by LTTE, Maoist supreme commander finally trapped in Bastar region

The Maoist supreme commander Nambala Keshav Rao, known more by his party name Basavaraj, has been killed by security forces in an operation in Chhattisgarh, police sources have revealed. Rao was among at least 25 other Maoist cadres who have reportedly died in the operation in the state’s Bastar region, which in many ways is also the last bastion of the Maoists. In the CPI (Maoist), the supreme commander ‘s title is that of general secretary – Rao made it to the party’s top position in 2018 after he replaced one of party’s senior-most leaders, Ganapathi.

Rao’s death is a big blow to the Maoist movement that is in any case on its last legs. Sustained security operations in Maoist-affected areas and building of infrastructure like road and cell phone networks has brought about this change. In the last few years, many of the party’s top leadership has either been killed or arrested. Many have surrendered as well after getting disillusioned with the leadership.

Rao, 70, was among those who got attracted to the Maoist ideology in the late 60s and early 70s. He was deeply influenced by Kondapalli Seetharmaiah (KS), a former CPI member, who later formed the People’s War Group in 1980 – it is this group that later merged with another Maoist group to form the CPI (Maoist) in 2004. Rao was a B.Tech. student in Warangal’s Regional Engineering College which in those days was a hub of radical left politics. It produced several Maoist leaders. Rao became a part of the Radical Students Union (RSU), a group formed as an overground organisation by KS.

It was a heady time. In 1974-75, several students of the Osmania University took a vow not to have a family and dedicate their whole life to “people’s cause.” Students like Rao, now part of RSU, would often clash with students of the rightwing ABVP. Around late 70s, Rao finally went underground.

The Maoists entered Bastar for the first time in the June of 1980. Rao joined them soon afterwards. In the mid 80s, he was among a select group of Maoists who received training in explosives from a splinter group of LTTE. He stayed with this training forever, and inside the Maoist party, he was known for his expertise in explosives. He later became the head of their Central Military Commission (CMC). In 2018, after Ganapathi’s age-related ailments and his inability to steer the party, Rao was appointed its general secretary.

With Rao gone, the focus of operations will again shift towards the elusive Maoist leader Hidma. Hidma is the commander of one of the Maoist battalions and is a native of the Bastar region. Responsible for several big attacks against security forces, Hidma has given a slip several times. Through the ongoing operations along the Chhattisgarh-Telangana border, the security forces are now hoping that this will be the last battle against the Maoists.

BasavarajBastarChhattisgarhGanapathiMaoistsNambala Keshav RaoNews BriefWeb Exclusive