Latest news with #Maoism
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Business Standard
a day ago
- Politics
- Business Standard
Maoists' eradication can be achieved before deadline: Chhattisgarh CM
The Chhattisgarh government, highlighting the Sushasan Tihar campaign, stated that the eradication of Maoism can be achieved before the official deadline of March 2026. 'The way anti-Maoist operations are going on, I think we will eradicate the menace before the deadline,' said Chief Minister (CM) Vishnu Deo Sai. Vi During Sushasan Tihar, the CM visited Maoist-dominated areas like Bastar, where people demanded an end to the Maoist menace. 'It is the biggest problem that people are facing in Bastar, and I had assured them that they would get rid of it at the earliest,' he said. The Sushasan Tihar campaign (April 8-May 31) was a 27-day drive conducted in three phases to assess the performance of the state government at the grassroots level. During the campaign, the security forces received a decisive breakthrough by eliminating the Chief and General Secretary of the Communist Party of India (Maoist), Nambala Keshava Rao alias Basavaraju alias Gaganna, on May 21, 2025. He was killed in the forests of Abhujmad in Chhattisgarh. Sai covered all 33 districts of the state during the drive, in which 1,346 redressal camps were set up to resolve the grievances of people. 'In total 4,121,042 applications were received during the Sushasan Tihar, out of which 4,040,147 were related to demands raised by the people, while 80,895 were about complaints,' the CM said. Among the demands, 1 million people had urged for houses under the Prime Minister Awas Yojana. Sai said most of the demands and grievances were resolved in the camps themselves, while those left will be addressed in a time-bound manner.
NDTV
3 days ago
- Politics
- NDTV
India On Track To Eradicating Maoism By Next Year? What The Numbers Show
New Delhi: Union Home Minister Amit Shah has repeatedly said that the government is committed to eradicating Maoism from India by March 2026, and the goal got a fillip when at least 27 Maoists - including top leader Nambala Keshavrao alias Basavaraju, who carried a bounty of Rs 1.5 crore - were killed in an encounter in Chhattisgarh earlier this month. Data accessed by NDTV shows that the government and the security forces are inching closer towards the target of ending the Maoist movement, which began in 1967. Home ministry data reveals that there were 1,936 incidents of Maoist violence in 2010, which came down to just 374 in 2024 - a drop of 81%. The number of Maoist-affected districts has also seen a steep fall, going from 126 in 2013 to 70 in 2021 and just 18 as of April this year. Death Count Decreasing Too In terms of civilian deaths in Maoist violence, the number was 720 in 2010, came down to 150 in 2019 and stood at 131 last year, up from 106 in 2023. There have been 19 such deaths until March this year. When the aggregate of deaths of civilians and security forces' personnel is taken into account, the figure was 1,005 in 2010 and went down by 85% to 150 last year. Infrastructure Targeting Over the years, Maoists have been targeting infrastructure such as railway property, public and private sector units, telephone exchanges, mobile towers, roads and schools. These incidents have also decreased from 365 in 2010 to 75 in 2017, and just 25 in 2024. Naxals Killed According to reports, over 150 Maoists have been killed in just the first few months of this year. The figure was 136 in 2017, went up to 380 in 2023 and stood at 290 last year. After the encounter in Chhattisgarh's Narayanpur earlier this month, Home Minister Shah had said it was the first time in three decades that a general secretary of the CPI-Maoist had been killed. "Also glad to share that after the completion of Operation Black Forest, 54 Naxalites have been arrested and 84 Naxalites have surrendered in Chhattisgarh, Telangana, and Maharashtra. The Modi government is resolved to eliminate Naxalism before the 31st of March 2026," he had said.
Time of India
4 days ago
- Politics
- Time of India
Will drag out terror from holes & punish it if ultras raise fangs: PM Modi
Prime Minister Narendra Modi has said that enemies, be they across the border or within the country, will be dealt with severely and if terror tries to raise its fangs again, the perpetrators will be dragged out from their hideouts and punished. At a rally in Bihar on Friday, he underlined that he had kept his pledge made after the Pahalgam terror attack that the terrorists will be meted out treatment beyond their imagination. Addressing a rally in Karakat, Sasaram, he referred to Operation Sindoor as well as the fight against Maoism, saying engaging in activities inimical to India will face the consequences. "People of Sasaram know what Lord Ram and his family's tradition was - that life may have to be sacrificed but a word given will be kept. It means if a pledge is made it has to be fulfilled. This policy of Lord Ram has become the policy of New India," Modi said. He recalled the Pahalgam terror attack in which several innocent people were killed and his pledge a day after at a rally in Madhubani where he had given his word to the nation that the camps of terrorists will be decimated. "I had said that the punishment meted out to them will be beyond their imagination. I have come to Bihar again only after completing my pledge. They had wiped the sindoor of our women. Our forces have turned the camps of terrorists into ruins. Pakistan and the world saw the power of sindoor. Those who were protecting the terrorists were brought to their knees by our forces," the PM said. Modi emphasised that the terrorist camps and installations were destroyed in just a few minutes during Operation Sindoor. He heaped special praise on BSF and paid homage to BSF sub-inspector Mohammed Imteyaz, who hailed from Bihar, for his martyrdom in the May 10 operation. "Our enemies have seen our power during Operation Sindoor but it should understand that this operation is just one shot from our arsenal. India's fight against terror has neither stopped nor ceased. If terror raises its fangs again, Bharat will drag it out of its hole to trample it," Modi said. While Pakistan and the handlers of terrorists had to face the might of India, those working against the state within its boundaries will also not be spared, he stated. "Our fight is against all enemies of the state, be it across the border or inside the country. In the last few years, the way we have finished such forces has been seen by people of Bihar. Till some years ago, naxalism held sway in Sasaram, Kaimur and neighbouring areas. Nobody knew when naxals, with their faces covered and rifles in their hands, would emerge anywhere. Everybody had this fear. The benefits of government schemes would not reach the people," Modi said. Live Events
The Print
4 days ago
- Politics
- The Print
Abujhmarh op shut Basavaraju chapter of Maoist insurgency. How homegrown DRG gave forces edge
For Chhattisgarh police, all moving parts fell into place to give way to the high-stakes anti-insurgency operation which was unlike any the state had witnessed. But none of it would've been possible without the off-field and on-the-field roles played by District Reserve Guard (DRG), which comprises to some extent Maoists who have returned to the mainstream. On 21 May, security forces killed 27 Maoists including 12 women following two days of fierce exchange of gunfire. Among those killed was Basavaraju , who took over as general secretary in 2018 and carried a reward of at least Rs 3 crore. New Delhi: Having spent weeks sifting through intelligence gathered by way of multiple sources and corroborated with the help of a vast network of human and technological assets, Narayanpur Superintendent of Police (SP) Prabhat Kumar and his team had a prized scalp in sight—Nambala Keshava Rao alias Basavaraju, the elusive general secretary of the banned Communist Party of India (Maoist). Intelligence placed Basavaraju, 70, deep inside Abujhmarh, the dense forest spanning around 5,000 sq km between Narayanpur, Kanker, Bijapur, and Dantewada in Chhattisgarh's Bastar division. Among these are former Maoists who brought to the table their knowledge about a special unit within the armed wing of CPI (Maoist) responsible for protecting the top leadership. Formally created in 2015, DRG played a key role in collecting and verifying inputs on Basavaraju's movements, besides assisting security forces with tactical nuances during the operation. Bastar Range Inspector General of Police (IG) Sundarraj Pattilingam told ThePrint that the DRG has 'turned out to be the primary strike force against the Maoists'. IG Sundarraj explained that DRG personnel are locally recruitedt and the specialised force gives boys and girls from interiors and remote parts of Bastar an opportunity to 'protect their land and people'. He added that their knowledge about 'the hilly and jungle terrain, tribal languages, local customs, etc., is proving to be a game changer in the anti-Naxal operational front'. Though DRG was instrumental in neutralising hundreds of Maoist cadres, he said, the operation which resulted in the elimination of Basavaraju is the 'ultimate achievement'. The IPS officer added that more than 2,000 DRG jawans are deployed in Left Wing Extremism-affected districts in Bastar. Still recovering from a foot fracture, Yogesh Madvi has only one complaint about the latest counter-insurgency operation—that he couldn't be part of it. A former Maoist who surrendered arms more than a decade ago, Madvi hails from Chintalnar village that saw the deadliest attack by Maoists on security forces, in April 2010, in which 74 Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) jawans and two Chhattisgarh police personnel were killed. Madvi, now 49, was with CPI (Maoist) for 14 years until 2012 and was also a part of the banned outfit's organisational wing. He joined DRG in 2014. On how Maoism came into his life, he told ThePrint, 'I joined the party in 1988 when they were popular in our villages, and they talked about forests, land, and water—the three most important components for tribals like us. But in my experience of more than a decade, they are ridden by sycophancy and factionalism and have no alternative vision for the common people.' Madvi said he never met top leaders including Basavaraju, 'nor could I meet my ailing parents who died in my absence'. Madvi's father died in 2014, and his mother in 2020 but he could not see either of them for fear of villagers informing on him to the Maoists. 'My mother came to meet me in hiding, but she was threatened and harassed by the party. My brother was threatened not to lodge a police complaint,' he said. Former Maoists like Madvi account for nearly 15-20 percent of DRG, which primarily comprises individuals locally recruited by the state police three years ago to join another specialised unit, the Bastar Fighters. 'In addition to these categories, troops are handpicked from the district after their induction into the force based on their promises and potential. They are our best men for the job,' said a senior state police officer who did not wish to be named. Among the top brass of the state police, there is little room for doubt when it comes to the key role surrendered Maoist cadres play in ensuring the success of counter-insurgency operations like the one that resulted in Basavaraju's elimination earlier this month. Also Read: Bastar armed with new weapons to end Maoism once & for all. Roads, ration cards & CRPF gurukul Company No. 7 & how op unfolded As the banned outfit's general secretary, Basavaraju was entitled to heavy security cover overseen by Company No. 7 of the People's Liberation Guerrilla Army (PLGA), armed wing of the CPI (Maoist). A senior police officer privy to operational planning revealed that 'surrendered cadres who had previously worked in PLGA Company No. 7 were the crucial difference this time between a successful operation and just another failed attempt' to neutralise Basavaraju. 'They played a key role in the planning and execution stages of the operation since they knew how to operate in the area where PLGA Company No. 7 operates. They knew the tactical nuances of Company No. 7 as well as their escape tactics,' the officer added. The three-day operation was launched after the go-ahead from the top brass on the afternoon of 18 May. Troops began their journey on foot from three directions—Dantewada, Narayanpur, and Dantewada inside Abujhmarh—that same night. They covered 36 km that night in order to take positions around pre-decided areas in time as planned. The operational task, though, was not as straightforward. After exchange of gunfire on 19 and 20 May, there was some apprehension that Basavaraju may have escaped. But security forces relied on real-time information sharing among ground commanders and senior officers to stay put. 'Basavaraju and his security apparatus got scattered from other cadres in the area after frequent exchange of fire on the first two days. At the start of operation, forces focus on spreading their area of dominance to avoid incidents of ambush. This scattering of forces in a large dense forest area allowed them to escape troops on the first two days,' a second senior police officer explained. But this time troops on the ground were prepared not to give Basavaraju and his aides any opportunity to escape which is why possible escape routes were plugged by DRG teams from Bijapur and Dantewada. The plan, a third police officer added, was to move the troops west of the primary spot. 'However, troops on the ground relayed that there was a high probability of the Maoists' movement in the eastern direction. Considering their unmatched records of reading operational situations correctly, the senior officers pressed ahead with their inputs.' Around 7 am on the morning of 21 May, a sentry part of Basavaraju's security spotted a DRG jawan and opened fire. The jawan identified as Khotluram Korram (38), from Bhatbeda village in Narayanpur's Orcha, was the only casualty security forces suffered in exchange of gunfire with Maoists during this operation. But this turned out to be the precipitating factor that alerted all troops, leading to the final exchange of gunfire in which 27 Maoists, including Basavaraju, were killed. The critical task of identifying the CPI (Maoist) general secretary too fell on a former Maoist who was with Company No. 7. 'It was the culmination of solid intelligence networks of DRG jawans, years of knowledge of surrendered cadres and their ability to pre-empt tactics of PLGA Company No. 7 that produced this historic result for the state,' a fourth police officer underlined. Additionally, a fifth police officer emphasised the effect surrendered cadres have on direct and new recruits. 'They bring with them the experience that they are not as strong as they used to be a decade or two ago. These cadres come with the understanding that they're no match for the sophisticated weapons and modern intel gathering apparatus DRG jawans are equipped with. Their understanding of Maoists' limitations rubs off on other jawans in the operations team as a confidence-building measure.' DRGs 'not prisoners of linear thinking' For Inspector Mukesh Tati (41), every counter-insurgency operation DRG executes is the culmination of a well-established procedure. Tati, who joined DRG six years after joining the state police force in 2008, has been part of several such operations. Hailing from Konta in Sukma district, he joined the specialised force despite knowing his decision could expose his parents to the Maoist threat. 'What works for them can also work for us. We are from the same villages they are. We were born and brought up in the same jungles and terrains as them and went on to dominate. The tide is now turning, for good.' Currently posted in Dantewada, which is no longer a district of concern as far as Left Wing Extremism is concerned, Tati has enrolled all three of his children into a local school. According to Dantewada SP Gaurav Rai, there is 'no match' for DRG jawans like Tati in terms of 'awareness of the area and superiority in operations'. 'Moreover, they have not come with any baggage of failure or botched operations. Precise operations, which have been very successful, only boosted their morale,' he added. Bijapur SP Jitendra Kumar Yadav said DRG jawans are the elite among Chhattisgarh police for their familiarity with local languages, terrains as well as their fearless approach. Another senior police officer outlined that DRG jawans 'are not deployed in law and order duties like other units; this demarcated mandate has kept them ready to go for cumbersome operations, in remote areas of Bastar'. 'By the work they put in during operations, there is a misperception that DRG is only a force that carries out operations. Contrary to that, DRG troops spend more time with laptops, scanning coordinates on Google Maps and other technologies than they operate with guns,' said Narayanpur SP Prabhat Kumar, who, along with Additional SP (Operations) Robinson Guria, forged the initial plan for the massive three-day operation. He added that DRG jawans have trounced preconceived notions. 'They have proved that Abujhmarh is unsafe even for their topmost leaders, let alone lower-level ones. Instead of coming to Abujhmarh for safety, they are now fleeing Abujhmarh.' According to him, recent successes in counter-insurgency operations can also be attributed to the move away from the 'linear thinking' strategy that Left Wing Extremism can only be dealt with through incremental improvements in social indicators and results over time. 'The pre-established approach of freeing one area after another starts from the nearer area, moves deeper, starts acting on junior cadres, and then targets higher cadres. The DRGs are not prisoners of this linear thinking,' he told ThePrint. (Edited by Amrtansh Arora) Also Read: In aftermath of Bastar operation, an eerie silence, speculation & fear of reprisal from Maoists
Indian Express
27-05-2025
- Politics
- Indian Express
Vishnu Deo Sai interview: ‘There is danger from Naxals in forests as well as urban Naxals… Our security forces keep a close watch even on urban Naxals'
Security forces have stepped up operations against Naxals in Chhattisgarh to keep up with the Centre's deadline of eliminating the Left Wing Extremism (LWE) from the country by March 2026. In an interview with The Indian Express, Chhattisgarh Chief Minister and BJP leader Vishnu Deo Sai speaks about the ongoing anti-Maoist operations, the 'threat from urban Naxals', and the past Congress governments' alleged lack of resolve to root out the Naxal problem from the state, among other issues. Excerpts: *What has prompted your government to take such a strong action against Maoists? Maoism is the greatest threat to democracy. Maoists want to capture power through arms and do not believe in the Constitution. They constantly challenge the democratic set-up and have been killing tribals and security personnel. They are also against development. Hence, the eradication of Maoism is very important and the government is working towards it. *Why do you think breakthroughs like the elimination of CPI (Maoist) general secretary Basavaraju along with 27 other Naxals were not seen under previous state governments led by the Congress or the BJP? The BJP government of Raman Singh fought Maoism with resolve but the successive Congress government (of Bhupesh Baghel) lacked it. Since we returned to power in 2023, we have scaled up the fight. The Union Home Minister (Amit Shah) has himself taken a resolve to uproot Maoism by March 31, 2026, and has visited the state many times to raise the morale of security forces. Naxals tried to destroy the whole leadership of the (state) Congress (in the 2013 Sukma attack). About 28-29 Congress leaders were killed but it still did not take tough measures despite being in power for five years. This is sad. *Some quarters have criticised your government's policy against Maoists with the Left parties terming the recent encounter and Operation Kagar as 'extra-judicial killings' while accusing the government of having no resolve to address the issue through dialogue… This criticism has no factual basis. Maoists have constantly tried to stall development in tribal areas and have been killing security personnel. In such a situation, we have to fight them. *How do you ensure that no innocent person is targeted? Are there checks and balances in place? Our intelligence network is strong and they ascertain (the identity of Maoists). Maoists stay in the jungles and hills, which have very little inhabitation. When Maoists gather in such places, the intelligence set-up ascertains their presence. Our forces never attack civilian areas. Not a single civilian was killed in the multiple (anti-Maoist) operations that were conducted. We are careful about that. *What do you think lies at the core of Maoism – poverty and oppression or ideological indoctrination? The Naxals have brainwashed tribal youth and provoked them against the government while trying to mislead them. However, the tribal youth now understand reality. The way we are opening security camps and taking welfare services to them, they have understood the value of development and are backing the government. I can say this with confidence because 1.65 lakh people from the region registered for the recently held Bastar Olympics. Over 47,000 people took part in the Bastar Pandum festivities that the government organised. *What do you think about the term 'urban Naxal' that your party often uses? Do they exist? There is danger from Naxals in the forests as well as urban Naxals. Both have links. Urban Naxals help the actual Maoists cadre in the forest areas in every way. Our security forces keep a close watch even on urban Naxals. *But who are urban Naxals? They are supporters of Naxalism who also support them financially as well as provide bauddhik (intellectual) support. *What is the path to development of tribal youth, particularly in Bastar? Are you for large-scale investments and mainstreaming or do you think tribals should maintain their pristine lifestyle? Tribals are in large numbers in these regions. Bastar has a great tourism potential and we want to promote it. To bring economic benefits to the tribals, we are looking at value addition to various kinds of forest produce. We also want agricultural development here and want to take water to the fields. We are also looking to promote animal husbandry and have entered into an agreement with the National Dairy Development Board (NDDB). We will give two cows to each family and the NDDB will help us in that. Apart from this, rearing of goats and fish is also being promoted. *Can you throw some light on the Chhattisgarh District Reserve Guard (DRG)? How do central forces coordinate with them? Local youth, who are acquainted with the geography and local language, have been recruited in the Chhattisgarh Police as DRG and have made a stellar contribution in the last operation. The DRG and central forces like CRPF, BSF and ITBP complement each other and work in tandem.
