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New Delhi: The All India Forward Bloc (AIFB) on Saturday condemned the recent encounter killings of senior CPI (Maoist) leaders, including Nambala Keshava Rao.

In a statement issued here, the AIFB also demanded the government to halt the operations in the “so-called Maoist-affected areas”.

“The All India Forward Bloc strongly condemns the ongoing so-called encounter killings of senior leaders of the Communist Party of India (Maoist) – Nambala Keshava Rao (alias Basavaraj), Sudhakar, Mailarapu Adellu (alias Bhaskar) and others – in Chhattisgarh.

“These killings, carried out under the guise of anti-Maoist operations, mark a disturbing erosion of the rule of law and democratic norms in our country,” the statement said.

Claiming that reports indicate the Maoists have expressed their willingness to engage in dialogue, the AIFB said, “If so, the government must create a conducive atmosphere for peaceful negotiation, rather than pursuing a path of bloodshed and militarisation.”

It also said the “militaristic approach” not only violates fundamental human rights, but also closes the door on a possible democratic resolution to long-standing social, economic and political grievances.

“The use of extrajudicial killings, masquerading as encounters, sets a dangerous precedent and undermines the credibility of our democratic institutions,” the AIFB said in the statement.

The Left party also demanded an immediate halt to all “encounter-based operations in the so-called Maoist-affected areas”.

It called for initiating a transparent and inclusive dialogue process with all the stakeholders, especially those representing the rights and aspirations of the Adivasi communities, and declaring an independent judicial inquiry into the killings.

CPI (Maoist) general secretary Nambala Keshava Rao (70) alias Basavaraju was among the 27 Maoists killed by security forces in Chhattisgarh on May 21.

Home Minister Amit Shah had called it a “landmark achievement in the battle to eliminate Naxalism”.

“Today, in an operation in Narayanpur, Chhattisgarh, our security forces neutralised 27 dreaded Maoists, including Nambala Keshava Rao, alias Basavaraju, the general secretary of CPI-Maoist, topmost leader, and the backbone of the Naxal movement,” Shah had posted on X.