Latest news with #Maoists
Time of India
an hour ago
- Politics
- Time of India
Maoists urged to surrender as LWE activities decline in ASR region
Rajahmundry: Left Wing Extremist (LWE) activities have significantly declined in the Alluri Sitarama Raju (ASR) district, largely due to sustained and intensive developmental efforts undertaken by the government. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now As a result, tribal development has taken center stage in the region. Assistant superintendent of police (ASP) Rampachodavaram, G Sai Prashanth, stated, "It has come to our notice that a few individuals and organisations have made unfounded and baseless allegations concerning the operations conducted against LWE elements, particularly regarding the Exchange of Fire (EOF) that occurred on June 18, 2025, in the Kintukuru area. We categorically refute all such allegations." He clarified that the location of the said EOF is a dense forest area, far from any civilian habitation, and that no civilian casualties occurred. The encounter ensued when police teams came under gunfire from armed Maoists. All procedures mandated for an independent and impartial investigation post-encounter were followed diligently and within the prescribed timelines. The ASP appealed to underground cadres and Maoist sympathisers to abandon violence and take advantage of the government's surrender and rehabilitation schemes. He emphasised the police's commitment to ensuring a dignified reintegration of such individuals into mainstream society.
Time of India
an hour ago
- Politics
- Time of India
Drone case: SC dismisses NIA plea to cancel bail of 4 persons
1 2 3 Hyderabad: The Supreme Court on Tuesday dismissed a petition filed by National Investigation Agency ( NIA ) seeking to cancel bails of four persons who were arrested on allegations of working overground for the banned Communist Party of India (Maoist). A division bench of the Supreme Court said that they did not find any ground to interfere with the orders of Telangana high court, which granted conditional bail to petitioners P Nageswar Rao, T Arogyam, B Mahender and V Umashankar in March 2024. The four were arrested by NIA in 2023 on allegations of supplying explosives, drones, and other equipment to the Maoists for attacking security forces. They were initially arrested by the Cherla police of Bhadradri Kothagudem district, following which NIA took over the investigation. You Can Also Check: Hyderabad AQI | Weather in Hyderabad | Bank Holidays in Hyderabad | Public Holidays in Hyderabad The special court for NIA cases at Nampally dismissed their bail petition in Dec 2023, following which they moved the high court, which granted them conditional bail. Subsequently, the agency approached high court for dismissing their bail. After hearing arguments from both sides, the Supreme Court dismissed NIA's appeal.
Time of India
3 hours ago
- Time of India
'Poona Margham': From guns to growth, 1,400 former Maoists embrace peace in Chhattisgarh's Bastar
RAIPUR: In the deep forests of Bastar, once synonymous with gunfire, ambushes, and shadowy Maoist hideouts, a quiet revolution is taking shape. It's not being fought with rifles, but with hope, skill, and second chances. And at the heart of this transformation lies 'Poona Margham' (New Path), a grassroots rehabilitation campaign that's helping former insurgents find their way back to society. Launched across all seven Maoist-affected districts of the Bastar Range, 'Poona Margham: 'Rehabilitation for Social Reintegration' has seen an unprecedented 1,400 Maoists surrender and rejoin the mainstream in just 18 months, making it one of India's most significant peacebuilding efforts in recent memory. Bastar IG P Sundarraj said, 'Poona Margham is more than laying down arms. It's about picking up life again.' Poona Margham offers a genuine opportunity for former cadres, many of them young men and women radicalized in their teens, to reclaim their identities, reconnect with families, and lead lives of dignity and self-reliance, Bastar police said. From PLGA to Plough: Changing Roles, Changing Lives In districts like Sukma, Bijapur, and Dantewada, where red flags once marked Maoist strongholds, young people are now seen welding machines in training centres, growing vegetables in community gardens, or attending tailoring classes at newly built skill hubs. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like The Most Successful Way of Intraday Trading is "Market Profile" TradeWise Learn More Undo Take Rahul, for instance — once a PLGA platoon member responsible for carrying out ambushes on CRPF convoys. Today, he runs a small motorbike repair shop in Narayanpur and helps the local administration identify vulnerable youth at risk of radicalisation. 'The gun only gave me fear. This wrench gives me freedom,' he says, tightening the bolt on a customer's wheel. Inspector General of Police, Bastar Range, P Sundarraj, who has been instrumental in shaping Poona Margham, describes the initiative not just as a security measure but as 'a moral mission.' 'Poona Margham is about more than laying down arms. It's about picking up life again. It shows that positive change is not only possible, it is happening, here and now,' he says. 'The Maoist ideology has become directionless. Today, those who once spread fear are helping us build roads, schools, and even peace committees.' IG said. Under the government's Surrender and Rehabilitation Policy 2025, all former Maoists are offered skill development training in trades like carpentry, electrical work, agriculture, animal husbandry, financial assistance for starting small businesses, psychological counselling and social reintegration support and secure housing and access to health services.
Indian Express
7 hours ago
- Business
- Indian Express
From ‘punishment posting' to next steel powerhouse: CM Devendra Fadnavis inaugurates several projects in Gadchiroli
Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis said Tuesday that Gadchiroli, once regarded as the state's most backward region – often known to be the place for 'punishment postings' – is now set to become the country's next steel powerhouse, driven by developments from Lloyds Metals and Energy and a model of growth rooted in local employment, conservation, and inclusivity. Fadnavis was speaking at Konsari village in Gadchiroli's Chamorshi taluka on Tuesday where he inaugurated several projects of Lloyds Metals and Energy Ltd (LMEL). He also laid the foundation stone for the company's mega integrated steel plant. Addressing a public gathering, Fadnavis lauded LMEL's managing director B Prabhakaran for 'walking with society', and making all employees stakeholders in the company's success. 'This is not just industrial development, this is transformation. Every employee is also a shareholder,' he said. Fadnavis praised the police and the people of Gadchiroli for standing by the Constitution and the democratic system and not with Maoists, who have been thriving in the area for decades. 'Today, even former Naxals are working at Lloyds plant. The Naxal network has been broken, only a few remain, and they too must surrender,' he appealed. The chief minister, however, cautioned against what he termed 'urban Maoism', referring to alleged misinformation campaigns on social media that claimed tribal land was forcibly acquired and forests destroyed in Gadchiroli. 'These are not voices from Gadchiroli, they are just a few people based in cities like Bengaluru and Kolkata, who are being funded from abroad, trying to keep Adivasis poor, backward, and enslaved,' he said. Reaffirming his government's commitment, Fadnavis said, 'We will not rest until Gadchiroli becomes the number one district in Maharashtra. The next five years will see income levels rise and lives change in ways people once thought was impossible.' Drawing inspiration from Dr B R Ambedkar's vision, Fadnavis said the transformation underway in Gadchiroli reflects the vision of India's Constitution. 'This is the real struggle, not just against poverty or underdevelopment, but against a mindset that wants to keep tribal India in the past.' Mining operations began in Gadchiroli around 2016-17, following official approvals. Since then, Lloyds has played a key role in establishing an end-to-end steel ecosystem in the district, he added. 'We didn't want Gadchiroli to remain just a resource supplier for industries outside, where it would face enormous pollution at the cost of development. Our vision was and is to benefit local youth and help them get jobs here,' Fadnavis said. He said over 14,000 local youths are now employed with the company. The BJP leader also shared stories of local women who started in housekeeping roles and now drive heavy Volvo trucks, earning over Rs 55,000 per month. He also noted that some women will be operating pellet trucks, breaking barriers in a traditionally male-dominated industry. Fadnavis also announced the bhoomi pujan for an upcoming integrated steel plant, which will generate another 20,000 jobs. The project, he informed, will be completed in 30 months. He also highlighted collaborations between Gondwana University and an Australian university to train youth in advanced mining technologies. 'Students will study partly in Australia and partly in Gadchiroli. Soon the students of Gadchiroli studying at the institute will be known as the best mining engineers of India,' he added. 'May it be a pellet plant, or a slurry pipeline, another conversation I had with B Prabhakaran was that we need to develop the region, but 'jal, jamin, and jungle' (water, land, and forest), which is the identity of Gadchiroli, needs to be preserved. There should not be destruction of this wealth. We need to try and ensure that there is no pollution which harms the beauty of this region,' said Fadnavis. Responding to concerns about environmental impact, Fadnavis underlined that the Gadchiroli model is based on 'green growth.' He stressed that an 80-kilometre slurry pipeline has been installed by Lloyds to prevent pollution. He was concerned that the slurry could be a cause of concern for environmental pollution, but the pipeline made it look easy. He said the region will soon transition to electric vehicles for most industrial movements. Fadnavis also announced a mega plantation drive, with 1 crore trees to be planted over the next two years, starting with 40 lakh saplings on Tuesday. He also hinted that a nursery similar to those in Rajahmundry, Andhra Pradesh, will also be established to ensure a high survival rate of planted saplings. The chief minister said the state government's Rs 5 lakh health insurance scheme will be functional in Gadchiroli as the company is keen to build a new hospital in the region. A school will also be constructed. 'Gadchiroli has the potential to produce better steel than China, and that too, green steel,' Fadnavis claimed, reaffirming the push for reducing dependence on gas and coal. Gadchiroli Joint Guardian Minister Ashish Jaiswal, MLAs Dharmaraobaba Atram and Milind Narote and others were present at the event
India Today
15 hours ago
- Politics
- India Today
How Gadchiroli moved on from rifle bore to iron ore
Today, when trains halt at Chandrapur and Ballarpur (formerly Balharshah) stations in eastern Maharashtra's Vidarbha region, passengers often get down on the quiet platforms to grab a cup of tea with vada paos and freshly fried banana is a stark contrast to how things used to be here just a decade ago — platforms had hardly any shops, and passengers rarely opened their coach doors. It's because Chandrapur, which borders the Maoism-hit district of Gadchiroli, was once equally scarred by Left-Wing Extremism (LWE).advertisementInterestingly, Gadchiroli, a hotbed of Maoist activity, was carved out of the larger Chandrapur district back in 1982. Chandrapur has been an industrial town since the 1970s — rich in coal mines, with a ferro alloy plant and a super-thermal power station. Most importantly, its neighbouring district has been Nagpur, a significant mainstream the other hand, Gadchiroli, equally rich in natural resources such as iron ore and forest produce, was defined more by its 76% forest cover, and its proximity to Chhattisgarh's Bastar region, India's most dangerous Maoist fact, until the late 2000s, Chandrapur was severely affected by LWE. But today, only sporadic incidents are reported, and the district no longer features among the Union Home Ministry's 38 LWE-affected after sunset, when trains pass through the Chandrapur-Ballarpur stretch, windows and doors remain shut due to the lingering fear of eyes watching from the surrounding fear stems from an incident that remains fresh in people's minds. Around 50 masked Maoists attempted to set a Mumbai-bound passenger train on fire in Chandrapur in up of railway tracks using dynamite was also common in the until a decade ago, this fear persisted even during the day. But today, just about 80 kilometres from Gadchiroli, when passengers step off the train, it signals an improvement not only in the law-and-order situation but also in the overall security perception of the progress appears to be spilling over into neighbouring Gadchiroli as well.A BEACON OF HOPE FORGED IN IRON OREToday, Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis will inaugurate the first phase of a 5-Million Tonnes Per Annum (MTPA) iron ore grinding plant and a 10 MTPA slurry pipeline project at Hedri in Gadchiroli – the first operational iron ore slurry pipeline in the state, giving a much-needed infrastructural and industrial boost to the ore mining began in Gadchiroli's Surjagarh area in 2016, but the new iron ore beneficiation plant is the first dedicated facility of its kind in a district where the economy is primarily driven by forest produce and will also lay the foundation stone for several projects in the Maoist insurgency-affected region, including a 4.5 MTPA integrated steel plant at Konsari, a 100-bed multi-speciality hospital, a school, and the 116-acre Lloyds Township. Lloyds is India's leading iron ore bringing development to a region hasn't been 2010 to 2020, over 50 security personnel have lost their lives here. But there are positive signs too. Not a single fatality from among the security forces has been reported since 2020 in Gadchiroli, only the Gadchiroli Police's elite C-60 commandos, backed by CRPF units and drone surveillance, are disrupting Maoist networks with more force than ever MAOISTS SURRENDERED IN HORDES IN MAHARASHTRAOver the last five years, more than 70 Maoists, with a collective bounty of Rs 2.8 crore, have surrendered in Gadchiroli primary reason for this has been disillusionment with Maoist ideology. Additionally, the Surrender and Rehabilitation policy, which offers an immediate grant of Rs 5 lakh for higher-ranked LWE cadres, and Rs 2.5 lakh for middle/lower-ranked cadres per surrender, has also seemingly served as a major 2005, as many as 704 Maoists have surrendered in to officials, only 40 Maoist cadres remain on record and just 24 are active armed cadres in Gadchiroli, according to intelligence sources, reported The Indian Express in recent surrenders include that of Vimala Chandra Sidam, who had a bounty of Rs 25 lakh and gave herself up in January this year, and Nangsu Tumaretti, who surrendered last year with a bounty of Rs 41 of the biggest blows to the outlawed Communist Party of India (Maoist) came in 2021, when top fugitive commander Milind Teltumbde, brother of noted academic and writer Anand Teltumbde, was among 26 Maoists killed in an encounter in Gadchiroli. A central committee member of the CPI (Maoist), Teltumbde carried a bounty of Rs 50 2021, security forces have neutralised at least 56 Maoists in encounters in all comes amid Union Home Minister Amit Shah's declared deadline to end Maoism by March 31, IN GADCHIROLI IS A SLOW BURNThese successes are largely credited to the fact that Gadchiroli has mostly had influential or firebrand leaders as its guardian ministers. Over the past 25 years, the district has been overseen by former Maharashtra Home Minister RR Patil, former CM (now Deputy CM) Eknath Shinde, senior Congress leader Vijay Wadettiwar, and current CM Devendra has been a significant contribution from the people too. It must be noted that in the 2024 Maharashtra Assembly elections, Gadchiroli recorded the second-highest voter turnout in the state at 73.68%, surpassing Mumbai (52.07%) and Pune (60.7%), showing the region's strong engagement with the democratic BJP's Milind Ramji Narote is the MLA from of now, according to Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, Maoist insurgency in Maharashtra is limited to just two districts, Gadchiroli and claim in June, however, raised eyebrows as Fadnavis had declared part of Gadchiroli, particularly the northern part of the district, "free of Maoist activities" over five months ago and asserted south Gadchiroli would also soon be rid of the Maoist the latest groundwork for one of the most significant development projects in this Maoist-affected district may change the region's development projects come shortly after the state government passed the Maharashtra Special Public Security Bill, aimed at combating LWE and "urban Maoism". Introduced in the Assembly by Fadnavis himself, the law empowers the state to declare organisations unlawful, seize their assets, and impose prison terms ranging from 2 to 7 years for involvement in such INITIATIVES HAVE PLAYED A BIG ROLESeveral other initiatives also signal change in the Red the unique "Ek Gaon, Ek Granthalaya" ("One Village, One Library") programme, 71 libraries have been set up over the past two years, enroling more than 8,000 students and providing access to books and learning resources in remote May, Gadchiroli got Maharashtra's first state-of-the-art inflatable theatre. The facility features an air-conditioned auditorium, Dolby 5.1 surround sound, and push-back seating, with tickets priced at Rs 100, offering residents a modern cinema experience amid have been quiet contributors too. In the midst of insurgency, individuals like Dr Abhay and Dr Rani Bang have been providing low-cost healthcare to both tribals and local community since the by insurgency, their NGO, SEARCH (Society for Education, Action and Research in Community Health), based in Shodhgram, Gadchiroli, has been pioneered maternal and child health. They train tribal women to deliver neonatal care, and have significantly reduced infant mortality in the bamboo economy offers hope for the region. Reports suggest that villages like Mendha Lekha have benefited through direct sales of bamboo, bypassing middlemen and boosting farmers' incomes. The Forest Rights Act, 2006, which enables tribal villagers to harvest and sell bamboo directly, is proving successful in certain villages of Gadchiroli a region that has been gripped by the roots of Red terror for decades, change may be slow. But the much-needed push for infrastructure signals a potential turning education, and healthcare in the hinterland could further weaken the ideological hold of Maoist groups.- Ends
