SOURCE ; NEW18
Last Updated:May 22, 2025, 10:53 IST
Officials say this year is on track to set a record for Naxal casualties, with security forces carrying unprecedented momentum
Security personnel pose with recovered arms and ammunition after an encounter with left-wing extremists in Bokaro. (PTI)
In the biggest escalation of anti-Naxal operations in over a decade, Indian security forces have recorded close to 300 Maoist (Naxalite) casualties in just the first 150 days of 2025—marking the most significant annual toll since 2009, and the fastest pace of Maoist elimination since the peak of the insurgency.
Officials say this year is on track to set a record for Naxal casualties, with security forces carrying unprecedented momentum. The last time Maoist fatalities crossed the 300 mark was in 2009, when 314 insurgents were killed, but that was in the whole year. If the current pace continues, 2025 could mark the deadliest year yet in the decades-long conflict, breaking all the records.
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“This marks a critical breakthrough in our campaign. Our intelligence-driven operations, combined with seamless coordination between state and central forces, have allowed us to strike with unmatched speed and precision,” a senior Chhattisgarh Police official said.
The crackdown has been especially intense in Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, and parts of Maharashtra. Key Maoist leaders have been neutralised, and vital insurgent corridors disrupted.
On Wednesday, the District Reserve Guard (DRG) eliminated top Naxal leader Basava Raju, also known as Nambala Keshava Rao, in a major 50-hour operation in Chhattisgarh’s Narayanpur district. Raju, aged 70, was the Supreme Commander of the CPI (Maoist) and its chief strategist, having taken over the reins of the movement after Ganapathy’s resignation in 2018.
His death, along with that of 25 others in the same operation, is being hailed as a landmark success in India’s fight against left-wing extremism.
“Basava Raju wasn’t just a commander—he was the ideological and operational backbone of the Maoist movement.
Last month, in the biggest anti-Naxal operation, forces eliminated 31 Naxals. The Operation was headed by CRPF DG GP Singh.
Top Leaders On Radar
Muppala Laxmana Rao (alias Ganapathi, Ramanna, Srinivas, Shekhar), approximately 74, continues to serve as a senior advisor and strategist for the CPI (Maoist). He is believed to be armed and operating in dense forest zones.
Mallojula Venugopal (alias Vivek, Bhupati, Veenu), around 68, serves as a senior central committee member and spokesperson. He hails from Rajanna Sircilla district, Telangana.
Mishir Besra (alias Bhaskar, Surnimal), around 65, from Giridih district, Jharkhand, is another key figure, known for coordinating logistics and communications.
Naxal Influence Shrinking
The scale of this year’s operations marks a broader trend of declining Naxal influence. From 35 severely affected districts in 2014, the number has plummeted to just six in 2025. Overall, Naxal-affected districts have dropped from 126 in 2014 to 18 today.
Likewise, Naxal-related incidents have declined from 1,080 across 330 police stations in 76 districts in 2014 to just 374 incidents in 151 stations across 42 districts in 2024.
While 88 security personnel were martyred in 2014, only 19 lost their lives in 2024. Meanwhile, Maoist casualties have surged from 63 in 2014 to a cumulative 2,089 by 2025.
With over 13,700 deaths attributed to the conflict since 1996, this year’s offensive could be a decisive blow. For the first time in decades, the goal of a Naxal-Free India appears closer than ever before.
- First Published:
May 22, 2025, 10:53 IST
