Two of the top Maoists in the country, the slain Basavaraju and the next in command Thippiri Tirupathi alias Devuji, are products of RSU. So is the CPI (Maoist) spokesperson, Mallojula Venugopal Rao alias Sonu.

Maoist rebels, who started their insurgency in the late 1960s and control swathes of what is known as the “red corridor” in central India, have long claimed to represent indigenous tribal communities neglected by the state and exploited by private corporations seeking to extract natural resources from their ancestral lands.

A top Maoist leader has been killed fighting with Indian security forces in the central state of Chhattisgarh. Nambala Keshava Rao, who is also known by several alias, including Basavaraju, was among 27 rebels killed on Wednesday, Indian Home Minister Amit Shah said. One police officer was also reported to have died in the fighting.