NEW DELHI: According to a former IPS officer who served in the Bastar region in the past, the push to eradicate Naxalism is happening at an unprecedented level.
On Saturday, Union Home Minister Amit Shah, who is on a three-day visit to Chhattisgarh’s capital Raipur, chaired a high-level meeting to assess the outcome of the anti-Naxal operations in the region and the way ahead.
The meeting saw the presence of the Chief Secretaries and Director Generals of Chhattisgarh and the neighbouring states of Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Jharkhand and Odisha, along with the top officials of the Union government. Officials aware of the developments said that the meeting is being held by Shah to take stock of his ambitious plan to ensure that Naxalism is wiped out from the country in the next two years.
To ensure this, Raipur-based officials told The Sunday Guardian that Shah has given a free hand and promised unlimited resources to both Chief Minister Vishnu Deo Sai and Deputy CM Vijay Sharma, with the only rider being that results need to be visible on the ground.
Chhattisgarh is often regarded as the epicentre of Naxalism in India because of its geographical, socio-economic, and historical factors that have allowed the insurgency to take root and flourish. After coming to power in Chhattisgarh, the Sai-led government, backed by the Ministry of Home Affairs, has significantly escalated the anti-Naxal operations that are being described as a pivotal moment in the long-standing struggle against Naxal insurgency.
This aggressive stance towards combating Naxalism has led to a series of encounters and heightened security measures in the region. In this year alone, security forces have reportedly killed 146 Naxals, the highest number recorded in a single year since the formation of Chhattisgarh in 2000. The majority of these encounters have occurred in the Bastar region, particularly in districts such as Bijapur, Kanker, and Narayanpur, which are known strongholds of Naxal activities.
Apart from these headline-grabbing events, the state government is also silently working in the background by establishing security camps in areas that were previously regarded as impenetrable. “The clear message from the top (referring to Home Minister Amit Shah) is that not even an inch of land should be under the control of the Naxals and it’s the writ of the administration that should run across Bastar, not that of the Naxals. “Due to his clear messaging from the very top and the resources that have been made available to us, our officers in Raipur and Bastar have no reason for not going all out against the Naxals, and you can see the results,” a senior state government official based in New Delhi told The Sunday Guardian.
According to a former IPS officer who served in the Bastar region in the past, the push to eradicate Naxalism from Chhattisgarh is happening at an unprecedented level, a development he attributed to HM Amit Shah. “You check the numbers; they will tell you the story. The police force is supremely confident that due to unwavering support from Delhi, the Naxal story will soon be a part of history,” he said.
Officers with experience in handling Naxal operations first-hand have been given crucial positions in the state, including administrative posts, to streamline coordination between the forces in Bastar and capital Raipur. Interestingly, it was under Mayank Shrivastava, a 2006 batch officer and now the commissioner of public relations, that the forces in March 2012 for the first time carried out extensive anti-Naxal operations in the Abujmarh forests, part of the Dandakaranya region. Shrivastava was then posted as SP of Narayanpur district. This was seen as the first direct “hit” against the Naxals, where the security forces were able to enter the stronghold of the Naxals and confront them.
Sources said that working in close tandem with the directions received from HM Shah’s office, the security forces in Chhattisgarh have established 32 new security force camps in core Naxal areas, a significant increase compared to the average of 16-17 camps set up annually in previous years. This is being done to disrupt the operational capabilities of Naxal groups and reclaim territory that has long been under their influence.
One of the most significant incidents occurred on 16 April when 29 Naxals, including the senior cadre, were killed in a single encounter in Kanker district. This marked one of the largest losses for Naxal insurgency in Chhattisgarh’s history, signalling a potential turning point in the ongoing conflict.
Apart from using brute force to end this decades-old violence, the MHA has asked Raipur to strongly pursue and implement a comprehensive surrender policy aimed at rehabilitating former Naxals and providing relief measures for victims of Naxal violence. This approach seeks to address the root causes of insurgency by fostering development and stability in affected regions.
During the 15 August Independence Day speech, Chief Minister Sai highlighted the impressive numbers that the forces have achieved to eradicate Naxalism.
This joint Centre-State move, from December 2023 till 20 August has led to 104 encounters, recovery of 147 bodies of Naxals, seizure of 192 weapons, 238 IEDs, arrest of 723 Naxals and surrender of 622.
215 km of road was constructed in the last eight months and 10 bridges have been built in core Naxal areas, while 253 mobile towers have been installed.
To stop Naxal funding and dismantle the overground support system, a State Investigation Agency, modelled on the National Investigation Agency, has been set up.
Similarly, acting on the advice of HM Amit Shah’s Ministry of Home Affairs and to focus on development work apart from armed operations, Sai has started the “Niyad Nellanar” scheme, meaning “aapka achcha gaon” or “your good village” in the local Dandami dialect (spoken in south Bastar), in remote villages that were under Naxal grip. Along with Niyad Nellanar and PM Jan Man Yojana, all villages within a 5 km radius of these security camps are being provided basic and advanced facilities under government schemes.
Under Niyad Nellanar, which was started on 15 February, 81 schemes under 17 government departments are being executed by the Panchayat and rural development ministry which is the nodal agency. It is proposed that more than 60 security camps will be set up that will lead to the scheme being executed in 203 villages. Thirty two security camps have been set up in core Naxal areas, and 29 more will come up within a year.
The fight against the Naxals in their last bastion, officials believe, is in the final chapter, and with HM Shah giving a free hand to the state leadership, the fight may end much sooner than expected.