30 including Maoist leader Basavaraj gunned in a shootout with combined forces
Principals Maoist leader Keshav Rao alias Basavaraj was gunned down during an encounter with the combined forces. The police had placed a bounty of Rs 1 crore on his head. He is not single, 29 other Maoists were gunned down in the encounter with the combined forces.
Anti-Maoist Operations Intensify
Union Home Minister Amit Shah had declared that the nation would be made Maoist-free by 2026. Anti-Maoist operations have been initiated since then in several regions of the nation. One such operation saw a gun battle with the security personnel initiated on Wednesday morning in Abujhamadh of Narayanpur, Chhattisgarh. This remote hilly region is referred to as the Abujhamadh Maoists' stronghold. The police received intelligence from undisclosed sources that Maoist commander Basabraj was hiding in Abujhamadh. His identity was not disclosed at first. The commander, however, was discovered to be Basabraj later on.
Multi-State Forces Join Maoist Crackdown
The Maoist crackdown operation started in the region of Karegutta Hills on April 21. Besides the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF)'s jungle warfare-trained commando unit 'Cobra', the unit comprises the Chhattisgarh Armed Police and District Reserve Guard Force, Maharashtra Police's C-60, and Telangana Police's Maoist crackdown unit. The operation was suspended for a day. But after that, the operation restarted. The 'largest' Maoist operation has come to the completion stage step by step.
