Intensifying its all-out war on Naxalism, the central security forces—acting on Union Home Minister Amit Shah’s mandate to dismantle the banned CPI(Maoist) by 26 March 2026—are now ramping up operations to hunt down the top echelons of the outlawed rebel group who are still at large.
According to Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) sources, tracking the fugitive Maoist leaders is now the top priority after neutralising Nambala Keshava Rao, alias Basavraj, the general secretary of CPI(Maoist), along with 26 others in Wednesday’s fierce gun battle in Chhattisgarh.
The target list includes Mallojula Venugopal Rao, alias Sonu, Thippiri Tirupathi, alias Devji, Madvi Hidma, Kathakam Sudarshan and four other senior functionaries from the outfit’s central committee and politburo, said a source in the central force assigned to meet the deadline given by Shah.
“All carry bounties of ₹1 crore on their heads, reflecting the threat they pose to national security. In addition, the Chhattisgarh government has announced a bounty of ₹40 lakh each on nine other Maoists, intensifying the manhunt in the heartlands of the insurgency,” said a source in the Ministry of Home Affairs.
Venugopal, notably, is the brother of slain Maoist politburo member Kishanji, who was neutralised in an encounter in Jhargram, West Bengal, in November 2011—a major blow to the CPI(Maoist) at the time.
MHA sources revealed that Nirmala, a high-ranking politburo member, was recently spotted moving across West Bengal and Assam, following the security forces’ aggressive push in the dense jungles of Chhattisgarh and Telangana. These movements underscore the group’s enduring network and support base in eastern India.
“Since the merger of the People’s War Group (PWG) and the Maoist Communist Centre (MCC) in 2004 to form the CPI(Maoist), western Bengal has remained a volatile Maoist stronghold,” an MHA official stated, adding, “We have credible intelligence suggesting that several sympathisers still operate in the region, offering refuge and logistical aid to the fugitives.”
Under the BJP-led government, the counterinsurgency efforts have gained unprecedented momentum. While 141 Maoists were killed between 2020 and 2023 during the Congress regime, the figures spiked dramatically post-2024, with 223 rebels eliminated last year alone following the launch of Operation Kagar in January 2024. In 2025 so far, 145 Maoists have been neutralised, according to official data.
The ongoing campaign focuses on the strategic Bastar region of Chhattisgarh a vast, mineral-rich zone spanning 38,932 sq km, encompassing Abhujmad, Dantewada and other forested belts historically controlled by Maoist forces.
Backed by Israeli-manufactured drones and the sophisticated analytics of the National Technical Research Organisation (NTRO), the forces are conducting high-precision assaults deep inside jungle fortresses that were once deemed inaccessible.
“These drones, flying at 15,000 feet, can penetrate fog and darkness to relay high-resolution imagery to NTRO,” said an MHA source. “Our ground forces, armed with these insights, are executing surgical strikes against Maoist bastions.”
A landmark NTRO-led operation earlier this year led to the elimination of 14 top insurgents, including Jairam Reddy, alias Chalapati, a central committee member with a bounty of ₹1 crore.
With March 2026 looming as the Centre’s deadline to eradicate Maoist extremism, security agencies are shifting focus to decapitating the group’s leadership.
“We’re using every tool available — surveillance, intelligence and strategic force — to obliterate the insurgency’s leadership structure,” said a senior officer part of the elite counter-Maoist task force, adding, “The message is clear: the era of safe havens is over.”
As the state sharpens its blade against India’s longest-running internal security challenge, the final chapter of the Maoist insurgency may be approaching — one battleground at a time.
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