Nambala Keshav Rao’s encounter death a monumental victory for security forces: Bandi Sanjay

Bandi Sanjay Kumar | Photo Credit: File Photo

The death of the banned CPI (Maoist) elusive general secretary Nambala Keshav Rao alias Basavaraju and 26 other hardcore Maoists in an encounter with the security forces in Narayanpur of Chhattisgarh on Wednesday is a watershed moment in Bharat’s war on Left-Wing Extremism (LWE), said Union Minister of State for Home Affairs Bandi Sanjay Kumar.

In a post on “X” on Wednesday, Mr Sanjay said: “In a monumental victory under the decisive leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the tireless efforts of Union Home Minister Amit Shah, 27 hardcore Maoists including Nambala Keshava Rao have been neutralised in Chhattisgarh’s Narayanpur. This marks the first elimination of a general secretary-rank Maoist in over three decades.”

The Operation Black Forest, Bharat’s war on Naxalism, has further resulted in 54 arrests and 84 surrenders across Chhattisgarh, Telangana and Maharashtra, he said.

Mr Sanjay further said, “A salute to our brave security forces for scripting this game-changing chapter in national security.”