Latest news with #Naxals'
Time of India
14-05-2025
- Politics
- Time of India
Tricolour flying proudly on hilltop Maoist stronghold after biggest Op, says Shah
Raipur: Security forces dealt a crushing blow to Maoists in the 24-day Karegutta Hills operation -- 31 hardcore PLGA cadres were killed, the Naxals' 'unified command centre' was smashed and four weapons manufacturing factories were destroyed, CRPF DG GP Singh and Chhattisgarh DGP Arun Dev said at a press meet in Bijapur on Wednesday. "Today, the Tricolour is flying proudly on the hill on which red terror once reigned," said Union home minister Amit Shah, lauding the forces for their bravery in extremely hostile conditions. Ahead of the press briefing, Maoist central committee member and spokesperson Abhay released a statement, admitting to the death of 26 cadres and yet again appealing for peace talks. He also asked Prime Minister Narendra Modi to "clarify if govt was open to negotiations".The mission began on April 21 on the Karegutta Hills range in Bijapur, on the Chhattisgarh-Telangana border. Shrouded in secrecy, there was very little information coming out on the operation that was spread over 1,200 sq km of treacherous, mined Wednesday's press briefing, CRPF DG G P Singh said: "We have recovered a large cache of arms, ammunition, and a sniper rifle." DGP Gautam said: "Maoists believed this region to be impenetrable. They thought no one could cross such terrain, but our forces proved them wrong."As many as 21 gunbattles took place between April 21 and May 11, 2025, and 31 bodies of Maoists in uniform were recovered. Sixteen of them are women. Those that have been identified so far carried a combined bounty of over Rs 1.7 crore. Preliminary investigation suggests that they were from PLGA Battalion 1, Telangana State Committee, and Dandakaranya Special Zonal had riddled the hill sides with hundreds of IEDs, making the mission harder for the forces. They advanced cautiously, defusing 450 IEDs along the way, but 15 exploded, injuring 18 jawans. All of them are stable, said 216 Maoist hideouts and bunkers were destroyed and searches at these locations yielded a whopping 450 IEDs, 818 BGL rockets, 899 bundles of Cordex, detonators, and large quantities of explosives. Security forces destroyed four Maoist 'technical units', where BGL shells, guns, IEDs, and other weapons were atop Karegutta Hills were extremely harsh, with daytime temperatures exceeding 45°C. Many soldiers suffered from dehydration but continued the operation with high morale, said the officers.A base camp and a helipad were established on the hilltop to support the mission, which was launched following detailed technical intelligence collection and 24-hour analysis, DG CRPF said."Anti-Maoist operations have intensified since 2014 with a unified and multi-dimensional strategy. We have strengthened joint capabilities through integrated training between state and central forces. Today, we are leveraging advanced technology for precise surveillance on Maoist movements," said CRPF DG a result of these efforts, the number of Maoist-affected districts has plunged from 35 in 2024 to just 6 in 2025, he added."Maoist-affected police station jurisdictions have reduced from 330 in 76 districts (2014) to 151 in 42 districts (2024). Civilian and security casualties have dropped significantly, with security personnel deaths falling from 88 in 2014 to 19 in 2024. Maoist surrenders increased, with 928 in 2024 and 718 already in 2025. The number of encounters has risen, with 2089 Maoists killed since 2014 — 197 neutralized in just the first four months of 2025," said the CRPF attributed this shift to increased development efforts in remote regions, including construction of roads, mobile towers, schools, and health facilities. More than 320 security camps have been set up across LWE-hit states since 2019 -- 185 of which include Forward Operating Bases (FOBs), joint task forces, and 68 night-landing helipads, the officer agencies, including NIA and SIA, have intensified investigations into Maoist financial networks, and choked funding sources, said the officers. They also condemned the Maoists' "continued use of child soldiers". "Children are being recruited into Bal Sangham and Chetna Natya Mandali, used as couriers, and later trained to carry weapons," DG Gautam Eradication By March 2026The Maoist leadership is fragmented and now forced into hiding in smaller units, said the officer. Forces have pledged to neutralize or force the surrender of remaining leadership cadres by the end of 2025. "The belief in their invincibility has been shattered. We are determined to eliminate the Maoist threat from India by 2026," said DG Karegutta HillsThe Karegutta Hill range spans about 60km in length and varies from 5km to 20km in width, forming a highly difficult terrain. Over the past two and a half years, Maoists had gradually established a strong base here, housing about 300-350 armed cadres, including the PLGA 'technical department'.Based on intelligence inputs, an operational plan was developed, and from April 21, 2025, a large-scale joint operation was launched by Chhattisgarh Police and CRPF. This turned out to be the largest and most extensive anti-Maoist operation so far and stands as an excellent example of coordination among various state and central agencies. The aim of this operation was to weaken the armed strength of the Maoists, neutralize their armed groups, clear them from these difficult terrains, and dismantle the PLGA Security forces dealt a crushing blow to Maoists in the 24-day Karegutta Hills operation -- 31 hardcore PLGA cadres were killed, the Naxals' 'unified command centre' was smashed and four weapons manufacturing factories were destroyed, CRPF DG GP Singh and Chhattisgarh DGP Arun Dev said at a press meet in Bijapur on Wednesday. "Today, the Tricolour is flying proudly on the hill on which red terror once reigned," said Union home minister Amit Shah, lauding the forces for their bravery in extremely hostile conditions. Ahead of the press briefing, Maoist central committee member and spokesperson Abhay released a statement, admitting to the death of 26 cadres and yet again appealing for peace talks. He also asked Prime Minister Narendra Modi to "clarify if govt was open to negotiations".The mission began on April 21 on the Karegutta Hills range in Bijapur, on the Chhattisgarh-Telangana border. Shrouded in secrecy, there was very little information coming out on the operation that was spread over 1,200 sq km of treacherous, mined Wednesday's press briefing, CRPF DG G P Singh said: "We have recovered a large cache of arms, ammunition, and a sniper rifle." DGP Gautam said: "Maoists believed this region to be impenetrable. They thought no one could cross such terrain, but our forces proved them wrong."As many as 21 gunbattles took place between April 21 and May 11, 2025, and 31 bodies of Maoists in uniform were recovered. Sixteen of them are women. Those that have been identified so far carried a combined bounty of over Rs 1.7 crore. Preliminary investigation suggests that they were from PLGA Battalion 1, Telangana State Committee, and Dandakaranya Special Zonal had riddled the hill sides with hundreds of IEDs, making the mission harder for the forces. They advanced cautiously, defusing 450 IEDs along the way, but 15 exploded, injuring 18 jawans. All of them are stable, said 216 Maoist hideouts and bunkers were destroyed and searches at these locations yielded a whopping 450 IEDs, 818 BGL rockets, 899 bundles of Cordex, detonators, and large quantities of explosives. Security forces destroyed four Maoist 'technical units', where BGL shells, guns, IEDs, and other weapons were atop Karegutta Hills were extremely harsh, with daytime temperatures exceeding 45°C. Many soldiers suffered from dehydration but continued the operation with high morale, said the officers.A base camp and a helipad were established on the hilltop to support the mission, which was launched following detailed technical intelligence collection and 24-hour analysis, DG CRPF said."Anti-Maoist operations have intensified since 2014 with a unified and multi-dimensional strategy. We have strengthened joint capabilities through integrated training between state and central forces. Today, we are leveraging advanced technology for precise surveillance on Maoist movements," said CRPF DG a result of these efforts, the number of Maoist-affected districts has plunged from 35 in 2024 to just 6 in 2025, he added."Maoist-affected police station jurisdictions have reduced from 330 in 76 districts (2014) to 151 in 42 districts (2024). Civilian and security casualties have dropped significantly, with security personnel deaths falling from 88 in 2014 to 19 in 2024. Maoist surrenders increased, with 928 in 2024 and 718 already in 2025. The number of encounters has risen, with 2089 Maoists killed since 2014 — 197 neutralized in just the first four months of 2025," said the CRPF attributed this shift to increased development efforts in remote regions, including construction of roads, mobile towers, schools, and health facilities. More than 320 security camps have been set up across LWE-hit states since 2019 -- 185 of which include Forward Operating Bases (FOBs), joint task forces, and 68 night-landing helipads, the officer agencies, including NIA and SIA, have intensified investigations into Maoist financial networks, and choked funding sources, said the officers. They also condemned the Maoists' "continued use of child soldiers". "Children are being recruited into Bal Sangham and Chetna Natya Mandali, used as couriers, and later trained to carry weapons," DG Gautam Eradication By March 2026The Maoist leadership is fragmented and now forced into hiding in smaller units, said the officer. Forces have pledged to neutralize or force the surrender of remaining leadership cadres by the end of 2025. "The belief in their invincibility has been shattered. We are determined to eliminate the Maoist threat from India by 2026," said DG Karegutta HillsThe Karegutta Hill range spans about 60km in length and varies from 5km to 20km in width, forming a highly difficult terrain. Over the past two and a half years, Maoists had gradually established a strong base here, housing about 300-350 armed cadres, including the PLGA 'technical department'.Based on intelligence inputs, an operational plan was developed, and from April 21, 2025, a large-scale joint operation was launched by Chhattisgarh Police and CRPF. This turned out to be the largest and most extensive anti-Maoist operation so far and stands as an excellent example of coordination among various state and central agencies. The aim of this operation was to weaken the armed strength of the Maoists, neutralize their armed groups, clear them from these difficult terrains, and dismantle the PLGA Battalion.
Hindustan Times
12-05-2025
- Politics
- Hindustan Times
Yogi Adityanath asks police to keep strict watch on urban Naxals, associated organisations
After the success of Operation Sindoor, chief minister Yogi Adityanath on Monday directed officials to tighten security measures and said there is a need for heightened vigilance against 'urban Naxals' and associated organisations. He also asked for strict action against criminals, cow smuggling and illegal mining in the border districts of Varanasi zone. '...there should be tight security measures. There is a need for heightened vigilance against urban Naxals and affiliated organisations. Strict and swift action against such elements,' he said. He issued these instructions during a review meeting on the law-and-order situation and progress of projects in Varanasi. The meeting was held at the Circuit House. He also directed officials to arrange adequate number of CCTV cameras under the Safe City project and ensure verification of suspicious persons. The vehicles seized from cattle smugglers and their contacts should be auctioned as per rules, he added. The chief minister, who arrived in the city on a two-day visit, was informed by divisional commissioner S Rajalingam that 60 projects worth about ₹14,000 crore are under construction in the district. Commissioner of police Mohit Agarwal briefed the chief minister about the law-and-order situation. On the slow progress of some projects, the chief minister directed UP State Construction Corporation, UPPCL, PWD, Jal Nigam Urban and Rural and Setu Nigam to improve their working methods and complete the works. He also asked officials to speed up restoration work of the Varuna river. Calling for steps to keep roads free of encroachment and avoid inconvenience to commuters, he directed officials to select suitable places for bus, taxi and rickshaw stands. He also directed the municipal corporation to clean all drains before the rains and remove silt. During the meeting, MLC Dharmendra Rai gave suggestions to the chief minister for improving the traffic system, saying the wholesale markets of Varanasi should be organised for this. CM OFFERS PRAYERS, GIFTS CHOCOLATES TO KIDS, MEETS YOUNG LASSI VENDOR Chief minister Yogi Adityanath on Monday offered prayers at the Kashi Vishwanath and Kaal Bhairav temples in Varanasi on Monday. Besides performing puja at the sanctum sanctorum of the Kashi Vishwanath temple, he greeted devotees on the temple premises. He also offered worship at the Kaal Bhairav temple. Cabinet minister Anil Rajbhar, MLA Saurabh Srivastava, Tribhuvan Ram, Legislative Council member Hansraj Vishwakarma and were present during the chief minister's temple visit. The chief minister gave chocolates to children while returning from the Kaal Bhairav Temple. On seeing a boy making lassi at a shop, the chief minister went to him and asked about his well-being and his studies. Giving him chocolates, he asked him to study diligently. The chief minister also enquired about the well-being of people at the shop.
India Gazette
25-04-2025
- Politics
- India Gazette
Decisive battle launched against Naxals in Chhattisgarh
By Tanmay Sakalley Bastar (Chhattisgarh) [India], April 25 (ANI): Security forces on Friday launched a decisive fight against the Naxal cadre in insurgency-hit Bijapur Chhattisgarh by mobilising a strong posse of around 10,000 security personnel to the top of Karegutta hill and nearby dense forest areas. Following precise intelligence inputs about the presence of top Naxal leaders, including most wanted Naxal commanders like Hidma, Damodar, Deva, and others security forces from Chhattisgarh, Maharashtra, and Telangana have been mobilised to cordon off the forest and Karegutta hill in Bijapur, close to the Chhattisgarh-Telangana border, according to police sources. Around 10,000 security personnel from Chhattisgarh's DRG, Bastar Fighter, STF, Cobra, CRPF, Greyhound from Telangana and Maharashtra's C-60 are participating in the biggest ever anti-Naxal operation in the history of India, added the source. Terming the operation as 'very crucial', the source said that it would result in finishing off the military strength of the CPI (Maoists) PLGA Battalion-1. Additionally, the Naxals' think tank--Dandakaranya Special Zonal Committee and Telangana State Committee are also under target. During the search carried out on the first day of an ongoing operation, security personnel recovered the bodies of three slain cadres along with weapons. 'Search at the rough terrain of the encounter spot hints that many more naxals might have been killed and injured in the exchange of fire,' the source claimed, adding that an extensive search of the area is ongoing. The source told ANI that the situation is like a test match; the game would last a long time, and every session may not yield very exciting news. 'We are hopeful of a very favourable result at the end of this match,' said the source. All stakeholders of the central government, the government of Chhattisgarh and neighbouring states are directly or indirectly involved in this crucial mission, he added. Apart from IEDs and fire from the Naxals' side, the hot climate conditions and rough terrain are posing a serious challenge to the jawans in this battle, said the source, claiming that the troops' morale is high to deal with any challenge. As the cadres of the banned outlawed organisation have planted large numbers of IEDs in the area, security personnel are also carrying out de-mining exercises to avert any untoward incident that may involve jawans and civilians, he informed. Reiterating their commitment to weed out armed Naxalism from Chhattisgarh by March 26, 2026, Union Home Minister Amit Shah and Chief Minister Vishnu Deo Sai have stated repeatedly that bullets will be answered with bullets. Meanwhile, the ministers were frequently seen exhorting naxal cadres to shun the path of violence and join the mainstream of society, stating that the government don't want to fire a single bullet. Since December 3, 2023, after the formation of the BJP government in Chhattisgarh, security forces have gunned down 365 cadres in separate encounters and arrested 1382 Naxals. Moreover, impressed by the surrender and rehabilitation policy of the Chhattisgarh government, 2306 cadres have quit the red movement to join the mainstream of society. So far in 2025, 144 naxals have been neutralised, 367 arrested, and 476 surrendered. (ANI)
