A coalition of overseas-based Indian civil society organisations has joined hands with Indian parliamentary left party CPI (Marxist-Leninist) Liberation to condemn what they call the “state-sanctioned killing” of 28 people by Indian security forces in Chhattisgarh’s Bastar region on 21 May 2025. The killings occurred in the Abujhmad forests of Narayanpur district and included the alleged extrajudicial execution of top Maoist leader Nambala Keshav Rao, also known as Basavaraju.
In a strongly-worded joint statement, the diaspora groups denounced the operation and subsequent incineration of eight bodies by the Chhattisgarh police as “a calculated, state-sanctioned act” that constitutes a war crime and a gross violation of both Indian constitutional rights and international humanitarian law.
“This was not an accident, nor an excess, nor a one-off aberration. It was a calculated, state-sanctioned act,” the statement read. “Every action taken by the state points to a single strategic goal: the destruction of evidence and the evasion of judicial scrutiny.”
They added that security forces publicly celebrated the killings, reportedly dancing with weapons in front of the bodies and photographing them—“expressing the triumphalism of the Indian state in killing its own citizens.”
The CPI (Maoist) had reportedly appealed for a ceasefire and peace talks, but the state chose escalation, the statement noted. According to multiple reports, families of the deceased—including those of prominent Maoist leaders and Adivasi residents—faced harassment and stonewalling when they tried to claim the bodies. In at least five cases, the bodies were later identified by family members from media images. Despite court orders and government undertakings, the Chhattisgarh police used diesel to cremate the bodies in a remote location, denying families the right to perform final rites.
Adding to the chorus of outrage, CPI (Marxist-Leninist) Liberation, a recognised left-wing parliamentary party, posted its own public condemnation of the killings and the treatment of the bodies.
The diaspora groups also called upon the international community to classify the Bastar conflict as a Non-International Armed Conflict (NIAC), a legal recognition that would invoke international humanitarian law and enable global scrutiny.
“This massacre… took place despite numerous appeals… for ceasefire and peace negotiations,” they said. “It is a watershed moment. It signals with terrifying clarity where this conflict is headed if it is not confronted decisively.”
They also noted that over 400 people—mostly Adivasis—have been killed as part of India’s counterinsurgency campaign aimed at “eliminating” the Maoist movement by March 2026.
Signatories:
- International Solidarity for Academic Freedom in India (InSAF India)
- SOAS Bla(c)k Panthers
- Indian Workers Association GB
- India Labour Solidarity (UK)
- Telangana Vidyavanthula Vedika, North America
- Punjabi Literary and Cultural Association, Winnipeg
- South Asian Diaspora Action Collective (SADAC)
- Indian Alliance Paris
- Indian American Muslim Council
- South Asia Solidarity Group
- Alliance Against Islamophobia
- Periyar Ambedkar Thoughts Circle of Australia
- Foundation the London Story
- Hindus for Human Rights
- Indian Scheduled Caste Welfare Association UK
- Hindus for Human Rights – Australia & New Zealand
- The Humanism Project, Australia
- Hindus for Human Rights UK
