Statement from the Revolutionary, Democratic and Progressive Forces of Bangladesh—Joint statement for stopping operation kagaar

Strong Condemnation and Protest Against the Killing of Comrade Nambala Keshava Rao alias Basavaraj, General Secretary of the Communist Party of India (Maoist), and 28 Maoist Political Activists

On 21 May 2025, through a military operation called “Operation Kagar” led by the Hindutva-fascist Modi government, the General Secretary of the Communist Party of India (Maoist), Comrade Basavaraj, along with 28 Maoist political activists, was killed. According to the government’s version, they were martyred in a so-called encounter following a 50-hour-long battle. However, various sources reveal that the ailing Comrade Basavaraj was arrested from a hospital in Odisha where he was undergoing treatment, killed there, and then his body was dumped in Chhattisgarh to fabricate a story of armed conflict.

We, the revolutionary, progressive, and democratic voices of Bangladesh, strongly condemn and protest this extrajudicial state killing, including the killing of Comrade Basavaraj, under “Operation Kagar.” This brutal military operation, which is being conducted under the pretext of countering Maoists, is in fact a planned act of state terror. Under the leadership of the Maoists, a movement has emerged to protect the water, land, and forests of the indigenous people. To suppress this just movement, to evict the Adivasis from their land, and to safeguard the interests of multinational corporate entities serving imperialism, the government has been launching one military campaign after another.

The Indian government has deployed thousands of paramilitary forces, especially the Border Security Force (BSF) and the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF), in the Abujhmarh region of Chhattisgarh. This region is home to numerous Adivasi communities whose land is rich in natural resources. These communities, long victims of state repression, are now facing even more horrific military brutality. In the name of suppressing the Maoist rebellion, the state is violently crushing the legitimate resistance of the oppressed, causing widespread violence against ordinary Adivasi people.

We, the progressive voices of Bangladesh, demand the immediate end to “Operation Kagar,” the military operation conducted by the Hindutva-fascist Modi government, and call upon revolutionary, democratic, progressive, and human rights organizations across South Asia and the world to stand in solidarity with the indigenous and oppressed peoples of India. Killing revolutionaries cannot destroy revolutionary struggle. Each death plants the seed of a new uprising.

We strongly demand:

1. An immediate judicial investigation into the extrajudicial killing of Comrade Basavaraj and all other Maoist political activists.

2. The acceptance of the peace proposal advocated by civil society to stop this unjust war against the people.

3. Immediate termination of Operation Kagar.

4. Release of all Maoist leaders and activists, human rights defenders, journalists, and Adivasi leaders arrested under false charges.

5. Recognition of the right to self-determination, land rights, and an end to the forced eviction of Adivasi communities.

In Struggle and Solidarity,

1. Anu Muhammad; Former Professor, Jahangirnagar University; Member, Gonotantrik Odhikar Committee

2. Altaf Parvez; Writer and Independent Researcher

3. Faiezul Hakim; Secretary, National Liberation Council

4. Manzoor Al Matin; Lawyer

5. Arifuzzaman Tuhin; Writer and Journalist

6. Hasan Fakri; President, Shaheed Biplobi O Deshpremik Smriti Sangsad

7. Shaheed Biplobi O Deshpremik Smriti Sangsad

8. Harun-or-Rashid; General Secretary, Maulana Bhashani Parishad

9. Zafar Hossain; President, New Democratic People's Forum

10. New Democratic People's Forum

11. Masud Khan; President, Jatiya Gonotantrik Gonomancha

12. Jatiya GonotantriGonomancha

13. Shubhrangshu Chakraborty; Coordinator, Bangladesher Samyabadi Andolan

14. Syed Abul Kalam; Writer and Intellectual

15. Abdur Rob; Member, Shaheed Biplobi O Deshpremik Smriti Sangsad

16. Badal Shah Alam [Senior Journalist]; Editor, Khanon, a magazine on art, literature, and culture

17. Afzalul Bashar; Director, Bangla Gobeshona

18. Souvik Reza; Professor, University of Rajshahi

19. Professor Kazi Farid; Department of Rural Sociology, Bangladesh Agricultural University

20. Nasir Uddin Ahmed Nasu; Convener, Ganomukti Union

21. Tamiz Uddin; General Secretary, Shaheed Biplobi O Deshpremik Smriti Sangsad

22. Shiplu Rahman; Executive Director, Siraj Sikder Study Center

23. Shamsul Arif Fahim; Researcher and Activist

24. Rafique Amin; Poet

25. Shahidul Islam Sabuj; Political Organizer

26. Anis Raihan; Writer and Journalist

27. Taqsim Khan; Activist

28. Rafsan Ahmed; Filmmaker

29. Akram Khan; Film Director

30. Rafiquzzaman Farid; General Secretary, Socialist Students’ Front

31. Robiul Karim Nantu; Businessman and Political Activist

32. Jamshed Anwar Tapan; General Secretary, Udichi

33. Biplob Bhattacharjee; Convener, Revolutionary Workers’ Movement

34. Salman Siddiqui; President, Socialist Students’ Front

35. Kazi Abdur Rahman; Retired Principal

36. Golam Sarwar; Associate Professor, Department of History, University of Rajshahi

37. Dr. Nazmus Saqib; Dental Surgeon

38. Sajib Tanvir; Independent Filmmaker

39. Ashiqur Rahman Onik; Independent Filmmaker

40. Dr. Tanmoy Sanyal; Editor, Little Magazine Postcard

41. Harunar Rashid Bhuiyan; General Secretary, Bangladesh Socialist Party (BASAD), Central Committee

42. Seema Dutta; President, Bangladesh Nari Mukti Kendra

43. Shaheerin Arafat; Journalist and Activist

44. Laboni Mondol; Literary Critic and Political Activist

45. Shaheenur Akter; Filmmaker

46. Amena Akter; Revolutionary Women’s Forum

47. Adnan Aziz; Student, University of Dhaka

48. Faria Zaman Niki; Student, Jahangirnagar University

49. Sattwik Bandyopadhyay; Supporter of New Communism

50. Rashed Shahriar; Convener, Bangladesh Youth Front

51. Farhana Sharmin Imu; Architect, Humanitarian Worker

52. People’s Democratic Students Unity(PDSU)

53. Revolutionary Student-Youth Movement(RS-YM)

54. Chatro Gonomancha

55. Md. Aslam; Convener, Chatro Gonomancha

56. Abdul Momin; Activist

57. Abdullah Qafi Ratan; Political Activist

58. Tahmina Yasmin Neela; Cultural Activist

59. Barrister Sadia Arman; Advocate, Supreme Court

60. Shyamal Baran Dash; Department of Anthropology, University of Dhaka

61. Abdullah Hel Bubun; Department of Anthropology, University of Dhaka

62. Subinoy Mustafi Iron; Co-founder, Activate Rights

63. Naib Ishraf Khan; Department of Anthropology, University of Dhaka

64. Hasan Jamil; Poet and Journalist

65. Ashiq Akbar; Poet

66. Mritosh Tatrach; Poet

67. Sorkar Aziz; Poet, Editor of Mymensingh Jong

68. Saikat De; Fiction Writer

69. Ziabul Ibn; Associate Editor, Khanon, a magazine on art, literature, and culture

70. Misbah Jamil; Poet

71. Juweiria Mow; Writer and Filmmaker

72. Milu Hasan; Student and Writer

73. Shoaib Mahmud; Poet

74. Shafik Sai; Poet

75. Nizam Rabbi; Worker and Rapper