India, May 22 -- The gunning down of Communist Party of India (Maoist) General Secretary Nambala Keshava Rao, alias Basavaraju, in an encounter with security forces in the Narayanpur forests of Chhattisgarh on Wednesday morning is a major setback to the Maoist movement in India, both ideologically and operationally, according to officials familiar with the matter.

The Chhattisgarh police announced that the 70-year-old top Maoist leader from Srikakulam district in Andhra Pradesh was killed in the encounter along with 26 others. It is believed that a few other key leaders from the Telugu states were also among those gunned down.

One of the Maoists killed was identified as Sajja Venkata Nageswara Rao (48), also known by aliases such as Raj...