Till a few years ago, no outsider would dare enter the eastern village in Chhattisgarh’s Sukma district – home to Maoist commander Mandvi Hidma and more than three dozen other top Maoist cadres. There was no school, hospital or village panchayat building there. However, things are now changing in the area thanks to several measures taken by the security forces and the district administration. A school is being built in the village and other facilities are being provided by the district administration with the help of security forces. The village received its first television set on this 14 December, after the product was introduced in India in the late 1950s.
“It’s like a dream. No one in my village had ever watched TV. No one saw the solar light or fan,” said Banjam Madagu, a resident of Purwarti.
“Things have been changing in Bastar in the last one year as security forces have been entering deep into the forests which was the core area of the Maoists. Recently, we have opened a new camp at Golaguda, about seven km deep from Purvarti in the forests. These camps will provide a significant boost to the government’s campaign against left-wing extremism,” said a senior police officer posted in the district.
Purwarti is on the border of Sukma and Bijapur districts of Chhattisgarh’s Bastar range – a Maoist battle ground. Since 2019, state and central governments have expanded their reach into Maoist-affected areas by setting up 98 new security camps. This year, 28 camps were set up in key Maoist areas in the Bastar region, including Kanker, Kondagaon, Narayanpur, Bastar, Dantewada, Bijapur and Sukma districts.
According to officials familiar with the matter, there has been an impressive increase in the number of surrenders by Maoists in the area.
“With the increase in security camps in key areas, both lower and middle level Maoists started surrendering. Several security camps were opened in villages where the Maoists were, and this made them feel safe in surrendering,” said an officer on condition of anonymity.
The official said that continuous attacks by security forces have created fear in the minds of Maoists, leading to the surrender of many people in the area. The launch of the Niyad Nellanar scheme helped the district administration provide benefits of various developmental initiatives and family members induced the Maoists to surrender, the official said.
Notably, since 2000, a total of 6,509 Maoists have surrendered in Chhattisgarh, of which the highest number, 1,210, has been recorded in 2016.
However, this number dropped sharply to 368 in 2017. In the years that followed, the highest number of surrenders occurred in 2024, with 802 Maoists laying down arms in Maoist-affected districts by 25 December.
Similarly, arrests of Maoists in Bastar have also increased compared to last year. Since 2000, security forces have arrested 12,492 Maoists, the highest number of which was 1,134, recorded in 2018. Arrests declined significantly in 2019, with only 499 recorded. However, it surged again in 2024 and 837 Maoists were caught.
“The number of arrests has improved this year due to improvement in human and technical intelligence, which has helped in the arrest of many Maoist cadres, including the recent arrest of senior rank cadres. Two days ago, senior Maoist cadre Prabhakar was arrested – one of the biggest achievements of the security forces,” said a senior officer posted in the area.
“Secondly, cuts and blockages in supply lines have led to successful arrests of cadres. Third, coordination between state and central agencies like the National Investigation Agency (NIA) and the Enforcement Directorate (ED) has also led to many arrests,” the officer said.
Chhattisgarh Police has claimed that since 2000, a total of 1,308 Maoists were killed in shootouts with security forces, with the highest number being 207 in 2024.
“All this happened because of the constant monitoring of the Union Home Ministry and the state government. There was a clear mandate of time limit and resource allocation by the Central and State Governments. Secondly, the numbers increased due to pressure from specially trained anti-Maoist security forces in Bastar (District Reserve Guard or DRG, Bastar Fighters, Commando Battalion for Resolute Action or Cobra). And finally, choking/sealing at the border and inter-state operations were carried out intensively,” said a senior Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) officer.
It is noteworthy that the security forces also suffered losses, with 1,303 personnel killed between 2001 and 2024. The highest number of deaths occurred in 2007 during the Salwa Judum movement, a controversial government-backed civilian militia initiative. While the number of casualties dropped to 80 in 2008 and 95 in 2009, it rose sharply to 171 in 2010, just before the Supreme Court ruled Salwa Judum unconstitutional in 2011.
Between 2001 and 2024, 1,791 people lost their lives and civilians suffered significant damage. The deadliest year for civilians was 2006, with 281 deaths during the peak of Salwa Judum. Civilian casualties gradually declined in subsequent years, but increased again to 76 in 2018, coinciding with increased operations in Bastar. In 2024, despite the intensification in anti-Maoist operations, the number of civilian deaths stood at 68.
Inspector General of Police, Bastar Range, Sundarraj P said that in the history of anti-Naxal operations in Chhattisgarh, the year 2024 was crucial for the troops in the Bastar Range on all important fronts.
“We also made significant infiltration in areas which were considered impenetrable Maoist strongholds. The unprecedented successes in Abhujmad and South Bastar have not only boosted the morale of the security forces but have also given hope to the people that the Naxalite problem will end sooner than expected. It is not only the numerical count of Maoist bodies recovered but also the grade of cadres, such as state committee-level cadres, who have been removed from the Maoist ecosystem, that has given us the operational edge this season,” the IG said. Said.
He further informed that till now in 2024, bodies of six state committee-level cadres including Joganna, Rupesh, Neeti and Karthik have been recovered after the shootout with the Maoists.
Bodies of 16 DVCM (Divisional Committee Member) level cadres and 32 ACM (Area Committee Member) level cadres were also recovered this year, which shows that the Maoists suffered serious losses in the top level and mid-level leadership, he said. Is.
On the arms front, a total of 263 weapons were seized by security forces between January 2024 and September 2024.
Security forces recovered 10 AK 47, eleven SLRs, equal number of pistols and 9 INSAS rifles from the Maoists. During the same period, the Army seized 23 BGLs (rocket launchers).
“The situation has changed with our increased operational and developmental reach in otherwise deprived parts of South Bastar, West Bastar, Abujhmad region. “Providing basic amenities like PDS shops, Anganwadis, household electrification etc. to the villagers has bridged the development gap and increased trust between the native population and the government,” Sundarraj said.
Security forces also reactivated roads that had been closed for decades including Basaguda-Jagargunda Road, Aranput-Jagargunda Road, Tarrem-Pamed Road, Narayanpur-Kutul Road, Narayanpur-Garpa Road, Palli-Barsur Road, Chintalnar-Kistaram Road. Has given. ,
Experts believe that the Maoists have been reduced to most of their divisions and are now weak.
“If the current trend of offensive operations continues in Abujhmad and South Bastar, Maoist activities can be controlled to a great extent. The Maoists have certainly shrunk in most of their divisions and their military structure has weakened. This has also affected their new recruits and their sources of wealth. They are in defensive mode. Therefore, if the security forces continue to advance, the Maoists will go into the shock phase, leaving behind many areas,” said RK Vij, former special director general of Chhattisgarh police.
Meanwhile, human rights activists and organizations have claimed that the year 2024 was the worst in terms of human rights violations.
“The year 2024 has been one of the deadliest years in Bastar since the Salwa Judum era (2005-2011), with increasing violence, human rights abuses and militarization. Security forces have reported more than 235 killings since December 2023. Villagers have protested against many of these “encounter” killings, and allege fake executions, after investigations revealed that many of the victims, including children, were unarmed civilians. Parallelly, in 2024, more than 60 villagers were reportedly killed by Maoists on charges of being police informers,” said a statement issued by human rights organization People’s Union for Civil Liberties (PUCL).
“At the forefront of these controversial operations is the District Reserve Guard (DRG), which is accused of carrying out extrajudicial killings. The statement said the recruitment of DRG personnel, which includes surrendered Naxalites and local tribal youth, is in direct violation of the Supreme Court’s 2011 judgment prohibiting the use of impressionable youth in counter-terrorism operations .
The crisis has been exacerbated by reports of indiscriminate bombing of some rural civilian areas, as well as increased fear and insecurity among local communities, the statement said.
“In a parallel development, after several attempts to suppress the peaceful and democratic youth movement, Moolvasi Bachao Manch (MBM) through the arrest of its leaders and members, the Chhattisgarh government took a controversial decision on October 30, 2024 to ban the organization. Took a step. Indigenous rights advocacy group MBM was declared an “unlawful” organization under the Chhattisgarh Special Public Safety Act (CSPSA). on November 28, 2024,” the statement said.
