Three-Decade Naxal Veteran Misir Basra Captured, Deal Blow to Maoist Network

For almost thirty years Misir Basra, popularly called Bhaskar, has been a linchpin of the Maoist insurgency across eastern India. On Tuesday, Jharkhand police announced his arrest following a tip-off that led them to the forest fringe of Giridih, close to the Dhanbad boundary. Basra, who was rewarded a one-crore-rupee bounty, was accompanied by two other insurgents—Mochu (Kumba Murmu) and Saurabh (Gaurav)—and two villagers who are now in police custody. The seized leader is suspected of masterminding several high-profile crimes, including attacks on security forces, explosive devices, murder cases, and revenue collection through intimidation. His operational footprint covered Jharkhand’s western Singhbhum, the Kolhan and Saranda jungle complexes, and extended into Bihar, Odisha and Chhattisgarh. Police officials stressed that the removal of such a senior strategist will create a significant vacuum in the Maoist chain of command.