Tricolour Rises In Maoist HQ Foothills: Kawande's First Tryst With Independence Day

Time of India

3 days ago

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Nagpur: For the first time after 78 years of independence, the national anthem 'Jana Gana Mana' will reverberate through this once-impenetrable Maoist stronghold of Kawande on the foothills of Abujmarh hills — the tottering guerrilla headquarters.
The towering black flags and red-stamped pamphlets have vanished, and Maoist boycott calls are a distant echo as the remote tribal hamlet on Maharashtra-Chhattisgarh border gears up to unfurl the tricolour for the first time.
With the area flooded and not congenial for combat boots, police drones will hover in the sky to keep vigil on movements of the last standing guerrillas holed up in the forested, booby-trapped Abujmarh hills.
Till a few years ago, Maoists would step out from their hideouts in Gadchiroli to observe August 15 as 'Kala Diwas' or Black Day, hoist black flags in villages and set ablaze tricolours. Here guns boomed, guerrilla kangaroo courts flourished and govt's footprint was non-existent. This year, Kawande in a true sense, will observe its first Independence Day. And this was possible after C-60 commandos and Central paramilitary troopers decimated Maoists on the foothills of Abujmarh and dismantled their 'janatana sarkar'.
The Kawande police post, nestled in dense jungles of Bhamragarh taluka in Gadchiroli, will organise a historic flag hoisting on its newly opened premises in March this year. Setting up the post proved a game changer with Devendra Fadnavis becoming the first Maharashtra chief minister to step into the remotest tip of the Red Corridor.
Constructed in an unbelievable 48 hours, the police post at Kawande, equipped with Wi-Fi, a water purification plant, and bulletproof fortifications, stands as a stamp of state authority in this remote corner.
This was the seventh post opened in two years, signalling a steady erosion of Maoist influence in Gadchiroli. The hoisting of the tricolour will mark a symbolic triumph over decades of Maoist dominance here, replacing their black flags, said SP Gadchiroli Neelotpal.
"Relentless operations by C-60 commandos and Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) personnel were instrumental in this transformation," he said.
The encounter in May, when 200 C-60 commandos dismantled a Maoist camp in Abujmarh, significantly weakened the rebels' Bhamragarh dalam, which operated in Kawande and surrounding areas.
The operation yielded weapons, detonators, and Maoist literature, underscoring the rebels' intent to disrupt the region. Bloodstains at the site suggested casualties, though the Maoists fled, exploiting the rugged terrain.
With security fortified, the region is poised for better roads, education, and health facilities, long denied by the rebels. As the tricolour rises, Kawande stands testimony to the resilience of local tribals and the courage of commandos, most of whom are sourced from Gadchiroli's tribal hamlets.
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