When Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Vishnu Dev Sai met Union Home Minister Amit Shah last week, he had more than an invitation for the closing ceremony of the Bastar Olympics. According to top government officials, SAI told the Home Minister that two of the seven districts in Bastar division are Maoist-affected – Bastar district, in which Jagdalpur is the district headquarters, and Kondagaon, in which Kondagaon is the district headquarters. Almost five decades after he was first included in the infamous list, he was finally freed from the menace of Left Wing Extremism.
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The chief minister told Shah that in the last few years, all underground and overground workers have either surrendered, been killed, or fled from their hideouts in the two districts, the officials quoted above said.
At least two senior government officials further said that the Center will remove Bastar and Kondagaon from the list of Left Wing Extremism-affected districts this month. Officials said once an area is declared Maoist-free, it is only a matter of time before it is removed from the Left Wing Extremism list.
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Bastar division is often considered the epicenter of the Maoist insurgency in India. It comprises seven districts – Bastar, Dantewada, Bijapur, Kanker, Narayanpur, Kondagaon and Sukma – of which Narayanpur contains Abujhmad, a vast expanse of uncharted forest that serves as a hiding place and training center for extremists. Is.
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But over the past 12 months, the government has launched a fierce offensive against the Maoists, building roads and setting up camps in districts and areas once plagued by left-wing extremism, and killing at least 217 rebels in encounters – As part of the government’s aim to eliminate Maoism by March 2026.
Sai’s comments to Shah mark the first time that officials have intruded into the region that has long been synonymous with Maoist violence and the subject of books and films on left-wing extremism.
“Naxal activities are spread across seven districts under the Bastar range. But Bastar became infamous as a Naxal center due to two reasons. First of all, all these seven districts have been carved out of undivided Bastar. Secondly, Bastar district has witnessed the most notorious Naxalite attacks in the history of Chhattisgarh,” said a senior government official.
The most notorious of these was the Darbha Valley attack on May 25, 2013, when Maoists ambushed a Congress convoy, killing 27 people, including 10 security personnel and almost the entire frontline leadership of the party. Former state minister Mahendra Karma and then state Congress chief Nand Kumar Patel were also among the victims.
The elimination of Maoists from Bastar district is also a symbolic boost for the security forces as Jagdalpur and surrounding areas serve as the epicenter of anti-Maoist operations.
Former CRPF DG Sujoy Thaosen said that the recent developments are an important decision. “I see this as a huge success and it has paved the way for poor tribals to join the mainstream of development. The sustained anti-Maoist operation launched jointly by the state police and CAPFs has made this possible,” he said.
Officials said no attacks have been reported in the past two years.
Another official, citing government data in the state, said there was only one first information report related to Maoist activity in Bastar district between January 1 and December 11, 2024.
According to police records, on the evening of June 11, 2024, the East Bastar division wing of the Communist Party of India (Maoist) threw pages of Maoist literature inside Mardum police station area of Bastar district.
“This is the only case that happened this year. This would also be a case of mischief. Not a single case of violence related to Naxalites has come to light in 2024. Two Maoist cadres were arrested, while 13 active key members surrendered before the forces in Bastar district. If we compare it with other districts, there is a big difference in the figures. 465 Naxalites were arrested in Bijapur. There were 253 arrests in Sukma also. While no firing has been reported in Bastar district in the last two years, more than 100 Naxalites were killed in other districts like Bijapur and Narayanpur,” said a senior police officer aware of anti-Maoist operations in the state.
Shivraj Singh, who served as chief secretary between 2007 and 2008 and later an advisor to former chief minister Raman Singh for 10 years, agreed.
“In the 80s when I first shifted to Chhattisgarh, I remember my friends asking me if it was safe to work in Bastar. Whatever happened, Bastar’s name has been associated with Naxalites. If a major district is freed from Naxalites then it is the beginning of the final operation. It is important to maintain this momentum. Naxalites also know that the Center means business,” he said.
surrender policy and aggression
The next year is crucial for the forces engaged in countering Maoism as the Center has vowed to get rid of left-wing extremism by March 2026. Based on this target, the forces have launched an offensive and have killed at least 208 militants in encounters this year, the highest. In at least 15 years. The government is also drafting a new surrender policy for the Maoists, a senior government official said.
Bastar Range Inspector General P Sundarraj, who is overseeing anti-Maoist operations in the state, said a three-pronged approach to the problem of left-wing extremism – infrastructure, surrender and operations – resulted in Bastar being eventually freed of insurgents.
“The natives no longer support the Naxalites and they are not joining them. If you compare road connectivity compared to other places, especially in Bastar, it has also helped. The supply chain and hideouts of Naxalites have been affected due to development in Bastar district. This is the reason why they had to migrate from the district. Some people who had fled Bastar and moved to other districts have also surrendered,” he said.
To ensure that more Maoist cadres give up arms, the government has launched a rehabilitation scheme as part of its industrial policy – apart from providing houses under the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana and providing stipends for skill training. Authorities will subsidize industries that employ rehabilitated surrendered cadres.
According to police figures, at least 802 Maoists have surrendered this year. This number was 398 in 2023 and 415 in 2022.
“The Center has given us a target and our officials are on the ground. Camps are being built inside the interior areas. The government is providing us all the support we need. Slowly but gradually other districts will also be freed from Naxalite influence,” Sundarraj said.
what next
Another senior government official said that the government is planning to develop Bastar as a tourist centre. This district, considered unsafe, will soon be opened with better infrastructure.
The official said the government has approved two helipads with night landing facility within the district. “The government has already started work on developing Dhudmaras, a village in Bastar district, as a top tourist destination. The government is improving infrastructure like roads, water and electricity. Villagers are being trained in tourism and hospitality management. There is adequate security for tourists as well as local people.”
“Although work is going on to eliminate Naxalite influence from the state, Bastar is not being opened for tourists like before,” the senior official said. Separately, the government is also set to create a new industrial area near Nagarnar Steel Plant in Bastar, which will support small businesses and create employment opportunities.
Bastar Olympics and Shah’s visit
Later this week, Shah will visit Chhattisgarh to review development work, ongoing anti-Maoist operations and will be the chief guest at the first Bastar Olympics being organized by the Centre.
In November, the state government said that more than 165,000 men and women from Maoist-affected areas participated in the month-long games, which began on November 1 and are scheduled to end on December 14. The event included 11 disciplines such as archery, kabaddi, athletics, and kho-kho.
This will be Shah’s first visit to the state as the Chhattisgarh Chief Minister told him that Bastar district has been declared free from Maoists.
The Home Minister is also likely to spend the night in the camp which has been taken over by the security forces after pushing back the Maoists.
Security officials say wresting Bastar and Kondagaon districts from the Maoists may be a victory but the fight is not over yet. On Tuesday also, a Maoist was killed in an encounter in nearby Bijapur district. The forces will remain on high alert.
Officials also point to another strange coincidence. Even though only one FIR was registered in Bastar district this year, it is similar to the time the Maoists took over the region for the first time.
On the afternoon of November 13, 1968, police found posters of Maoist literature in Hindi, Telugu and Halbi language pasted outside a house in Bastar district. Bastar Police registered the first FIR against Maoists that day. The next six decades saw a story written in blood in the Red Corridor, officials said.
