Chhattisgarh: Maoists admit to killings of 357 cadres in a year, CPI (M) central committee issues martyrs' week call

Time of India

5 days ago

RAIPUR: The banned CPI (Maoists) has admitted in a statement that 357 of its cadres, including 136 women, have been killed across India in the past year. The statement issued by the party's top Central Committee marks one of the largest single-year losses in recent history for the insurgent group.
The development comes ahead of Maoists' annual 'Martyrs' Week' to be observed from July 28 to August 3. The statement, released in the form of a 24-page booklet in English and Gondi languages, outlines the deaths as 'martyrdoms' and claims the majority 281 deaths occurred in the Dandakaranya region, which includes parts of south Chhattisgarh, Maharashtra, and Odisha.
'Among those killed are four members of the Maoist Central Committee and fifteen from various State Committees which is a heavy blow to the group's leadership ranks,' the statement said.
The group attributes these losses to 'Kagaar', a term it uses to describe the intensified counter-insurgency offensive being conducted jointly by central and state governments, particularly by security forces operating in the Red Corridor.
Maoists claimed that 80 of the deceased were killed in "fake encounters", while 269 were killed in 'encirclement attacks'. Notably, 31 civilians were also included in the death toll, according to the group's internal records.
Despite severe setbacks, the document asserts that Maoist fighters inflicted casualties on government forces too — claiming 75 security personnel were killed and 130 injured through IEDs, booby traps, and ambushes over the year.
Maoists Admit Heavy Losses, But Focus Shifts to
Surrender Numbers
Commenting on the recent statement issued by Maoists, Deputy chief minister Vijay Sharma who also holds Home portfolio said that Maoists have admitted to the death of over 300 cadres within a year, however, a larger and more important development: 'The real issue is not how many Maoists have been killed, but how many have surrendered or been arrested.
That number stands close to 3,000, significantly weakening their network.
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He added that many Maoists have been neutralized or rehabilitated, marking a decisive shift in the state's counter-insurgency strategy.
Organised Resistance or Decline?
The Maoists' statement framed the losses as part of a broader campaign of 'resistance' against the state, vowing that their struggle, rooted in Maoist ideology and a commitment to protracted people's war, would continue despite the setbacks.
It accused government forces of targeting injured and unarmed cadres during combing operations and claimed that morale within their guerrilla ranks remains high.
However, the details and tone of reflection suggest growing pressure on the Maoist network, especially in Dandakaranya — historically a Maoist stronghold.
Martyrs' Week Observance
Maoist Central Committee has also called for a widespread observance of 'Shaheedi Saptah' (Martyrs' Week) from July 28 to August 3, urging cadres and supporters to hold memorials in villages, towns, and forests, distribute literature, posters, and organize cultural tributes like songs and plays, propagate the life stories of the deceased leaders as revolutionary role models, encourage youth from oppressed communities to join the movement.
The booklet repeatedly urges members to reject surrender and rehabilitation policies of the state and to continue resisting what it describes as 'Brahmanical Hindutva fascism' and 'imperialist proxy wars.'
They named the prominent cadres they lost over the past year including Basavaraju (Nambala Kesava Rao), 71, the party's General Secretary and a veteran of 51 years in the movement, killed in an encounter in Bastar on May 21, Vivek (Prayag Manjhi), 66, a Central Committee member from Jharkhand, killed in Bokaro, Chalapathy (Ramachandra Reddy), 62, a senior strategist, killed in Gariaband in Chhattisgarh, Uday, 56, and Sharma, 96, a long-time ideologue from Punjab, who died of illness and Neethi, Rupesh, Chaite, and Karthik — all senior leaders from Dandakaranya and Odisha zones — were also listed among the deceased.
Police officials have claimed in recent months that the Maoist movement is at its weakest in decades, citing rising numbers of surrenders, weapon seizures, and steady dismantling of PLGA (People's Liberation Guerrilla Army) formations.