NEW DELHI, May 21, 2025 (BSS/AFP) - Indian commandos killed Wednesday the Maoist insurgent chief, the country's home minister said, in what could be a decisive blow to the decades-long conflict.

Amit Shah said troops had killed 27 rebels in central India, including the "topmost leader" of the banned Communist Party of India-Maoist group, commonly known as the Naxalite rebellion, after the village in the foothills of the Himalayas where the Maoist-inspired guerrilla movement began nearly six decades ago.

"Today, in an operation in Narayanpur, Chhattisgarh, our security forces have neutralised 27 dreaded Maoists, including Nambala Keshav Rao, alias Basavaraju, the general secretary of CPI-Maoist, topmost leader, and the backbone of the Naxal movement," Shah said in a statement.

"This is the first time in three decades of Bharat's (India's) battle against Naxalism that a general secretary-ranked leader has been neutralised by our forces", he added.

More than 12,000 rebels, soldiers and civilians have died since a handful of villagers rose up against their feudal lords there in 1967.

At its peak in the mid-2000s, the rebellion controlled nearly a third of the country with an estimated 15,000 to 20,000 fighters.

"I applaud our brave security forces and agencies for this major breakthrough" Shah added.

Shah said that in wider operations 54 people had been arrested, and a further 84 Naxalites had surrendered in the states of Chhattisgarh, Telangana, and Maharashtra.

"The Modi government is resolved to eliminate Naxalism before the 31st of March 2026", Shah added, repeating his vow to crush the rebels.