New Delhi: Police forces have eliminated over 200 suspected senior Maoist cadres since 2021, ThePrint has learnt. Of the total, 138 were in Chhattisgarh, 39 in Maharashtra, and 15 each in Jharkhand and Madhya Pradesh.
The aggressive action by security forces appears to be in line with Union Home Minister Amit Shah’s declaration on 24 August that Naxalism will be completely eliminated by 2026.
Highlighting progress towards this goal, Shah stated Sunday that, for the first time in four decades, casualties among civilians and security forces have fallen below 100 in a year.
He added that 287 Naxals were killed in the exchange of fire with security forces, nearly 1,000 were arrested, and 837 of them have surrendered over the past year.
According to records maintained by police forces in these states and accessed by ThePrint, a large number of anti-Naxal operations have taken place this year—particularly in the worst-affected state of Chhattisgarh where 100 out of 138 top Naxal cadres killed in the last four years have been eliminated only this year.
Maoism is a “doctrine to capture State power through a combination of armed insurgency, mass mobilisation and strategic alliances” for which they allegedly use “propaganda and disinformation against State institutions”, according to the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA), the nodal ministry that deals with the issue of Left Wing Extremism (LWE).
The MHA also added that the Communist Party of India (Maoist), which it banned under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, 1967, is the largest and the most violent Maoist formation.
Born out of an uprising by landless farmers against landlords in West Bengal in 1967, violent Maoism at one point became the most challenging issue threatening India’s internal security. In October 2006, the MHA created a specialised LWE division to plan and implement security and development related schemes and measures in states affected by Maoist threats.
Historically, states such as Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, Odisha, West Bengal, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, and Kerala were considered LWE affected states but government records suggest significant decline in violence and areas affected.
While the security forces have eliminated at least 100 of the top Maoist commanders, including some who were state-level in-charges of the CPI (Maoist) in the last few years, senior officials in the security establishment concede “difficulty” in dealing with the issue of Maoist insurgency in the country without dealing with these “heads” of the outfits.
A dossier prepared by the police forces and accessed by ThePrint identifies Nambala Keshava Rao, Muppala Lakshmana Rao, Madvi Hidma, Mallojula Venugopal, Misir Besra, Vivek Chandra Yadav, Aseem Mandal, Prayag Manjhi, and Patiram Manjhi as some of the top commanders and functionaries on its radar.
Nambala Keshava Rao, who also goes by the alias Vasava Raju, is the general secretary of the CPI (Maoist) central committee and a member of its polit bureau.
Similarly, Mallojula Venugopal, who also goes by the alias Bhupati, is the chief of the banned outfit’s military intelligence wing. Madvi Hidma is the commander of Battalion Number 1 of the People’s Liberation Guerrilla Army (PLGA)—the armed wing of CPI (Maoist).
Also Read: Why Milind Teltumbde’s killing in Gadchiroli is a ‘major blow’ to Naxal movement in India
Anti-Maoist operations in numbers
According to dossiers of Maoists prepared by naxal-affected states such as Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, Maharashtra and Madhya Pradesh and accessed by ThePrint, specialised anti-Maoist forces of the state police and Central Armed Police Forces have eliminated more than 200 top Maoist cadres in the last four years.
In Chhattisgarh, security forces have eliminated 68 top cadres, including Randhir, a Maoist commander, belonging to the Dandakaranya Special Zonal Committee (DKSZC) of CPI (Maoist); Shankar Rao, who headed the intelligence of the North Bastar divisional committee of the Maoist outfit, and Niti, a woman DKSZC member, who was heading the east Bastar division of Maoists.
Considered the strongest formation of the Maoist groups, the DKSZC manages cadre operations and management in the Bastar region in Chhattisgarh along with adjacent areas in neighbouring Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Odisha, and Maharashtra.
In Jharkhand, security forces had eliminated, till November this year, 35 Maoist cadres in the last four years, including Ajit Oraon and Gautam Paswan, members of the Special Area Committee of the CPI (Maoist). Both carried a bounty of Rs 25 lakh each.
In the Gadchiroli district of Maharashtra, security forces, including C-60 commandos of the district police, neutralised 80 Maoists in the last four years, including Milind Teltumbade, a member of the CPI (Maoist) central committee, overseeing operations in Maharashtra, records maintained by Maharashtra Police showed.
Rushi Raoji Hichami, who was in charge of the North Gadchiroli Division till 2021; Vishal, divisional secretary and in-charge of North Gadchiroli from 2022 to 2024 and also known as an ‘IED expert’ among Maoist cadres; and one Wasu, who was serving as commander-in-chief of the South Gadchiroli division were also eliminated.
In the Balaghat Zone of Madhya Pradesh, security forces, including a specialised anti-Naxal force known as the Hawk Force, have eliminated 15 top Maoist commanders in the last four years including Nagesh, who was commander-in-chief Darekasa Dalam; Ganesh, the Zone Coordination in-charge of the Khatia Mocha Area Committee; and one Sajanti—all of whom had Rs 29 lakh bounty on their heads.
Last Tuesday, in a written reply, Minister of State for Home Affairs Nityanand Rai told the Lok Sabha that casualties among civilians and security forces have nosedived by 86 percent from an all-time high of 1,005 in 2010 to 138 last year. It further reduced by another 25 percent till 15 November this year, he said.
He also told the Lok Sabha that the spread of LWE violence has been reduced to 38 districts in the country compared to 126 in 10 states in 2013. The number of police stations reporting LWE-related violence also plummeted from 465 in 2010 to 171 last year.
‘Example of state ruthlessness’
However, activists are calling the expanded anti-Naxal operations as examples of “ruthlessness” of the state and their carelessness towards tribal people who are often trapped in the waves of violence.
“It’s not that any government showed care towards tribals while dealing with the issue but there is clear sign of ruthlessness with operations becoming too frequent and intensified this year,” Bastar-based tribals rights activist Bela Bhatia told ThePrint.
On the other hand, former Director General of Police in Chhattisgarh, R.K. Vij believes that the frequency and intensity of encounters exemplify that “intentions” are in the right direction that if they continue would put “sufficient checks” on the scale of violent Maoism in the country.
“Total eradication of Maoist movement may not be possible because it is mostly an ideological movement. However, these operations are steps in the right direction and intentions that would sufficiently check the spread and scale of the Maoist movement in the country,” Vij told ThePrint.
Additionally, he said that while Maoist movements have been restricted largely to Abujmarh and South Bastar division, their movement is still ongoing, which poses a challenge to security forces.
“Maoists are on the defensive after a sustained period of facing setbacks. However, their senior leadership is still alive and active. Some 15 Central Committee members and 20 belonging to the DKSZC are still calling the shots in their movement and operations which suggest that the battle is far from over,” he further said.
But he expressed confidence that steps taken by security forces such as expanding the number and areas of forward bases inside areas known as strongholds of the Red Army would lead to “containment” of the military capabilities of the Maoists.
“Establishing forward bases would restrict the movement of Maoist cadres that would subsequently lead to an exchange of fire and there are chances of security forces outnumbering and outmanoeuvring them leading to heavy casualties on their side which we have observed in the recent past,” he said. He added that the decimation of military formations would subsequently curtail the movement of Maoist groups as there will be less recruitment and funding.
‘Political will stands out, clear instructions’
Senior officials in the central security establishment said the rapid expansion of anti-Naxal operations in states such as Chhattisgarh, Maharashtra, and Jharkhand has been made possible by the consistent messaging from Home Minister Shah to the forces on the ground—hunt the armed Maoists not willing to surrender and allow rehabilitation of cadres willing to give up arms and join the mainstream.
“Not that tactics or larger strategy were any worse earlier but the MHA and Home Minister have made it clear of not changing stance or target to deal with the menace of Maoism. Political willpower is the most important thing in dealing with this delicate issue,” a top official in the security establishment told ThePrint.
However, security officials added that a complete eradication of the ideology is next to impossible. Still, security forces working in the LWE sector believe that at least the realisation that there can be no positive outcome of taking up arms against the state has started hitting the young people.
“Disillusionment with violence against the state is the reason armed struggle is not getting stronger in the country. Even people sympathetic to the Maoists may well have understood the inevitability of the armed struggle against the state which may end up finishing their ideology,” another official in the security establishment told ThePrint.
Former DGP Vij also said that political willpower and synergy between the Central Armed Police Forces (CAPFs) and state police can be “decisive” factors in counterinsurgency operations against Maoists.
“If both the Centre and the state government are on the same page, there is little to no gap in communication and reluctance on strategies such as the opening of forward operating bases which are critical pillars of successful operations against Maoists,” he said.
In Chhattisgarh, officers, including police personnel, are also increasingly getting queries over the availability of government schemes and policies in various districts.
A senior official in the Chhattisgarh government said, “We have to respond with utmost sincerity on the availability of facilities such as Ayushman cards and ration cards for poor people, and senior officials have mandated providing all security arrangements for administrative officials in case they flag them as the reason behind the absence of these facilities in any corner of the Naxal-affected areas.”
Increasing security force’s axis, shrinking Maoist base
According to officials in the security establishment, a number of factors have contributed to the success of the anti-Naxal operations.
For example, indirect intelligence gathering and passing of information has improved in the past four or five years, even before so many rebels surrendered or were eliminated. A significant reduction in the ground and moral support to Maoists by local villagers, compared to the past decade or so, has also helped better intelligence gathering, the officials said.
Operationally, officials in the security establishment also highlighted that the aggressive expansion of Forward Operating bases (FOBs) in the areas earlier considered to be bastions of top commanders have also played a role in the last few years.
For example, they said, security forces have opened nearly 20 FOBs in the South Bastar division where Hidma is known to be operating, the last of which was opened at Golla Konda village range in the border areas of the Sukma and Bijapur districts Saturday.
“Opening FOBs, one after the other, allows security forces to have two major advantages—swift launching and retrieval of team conducting operations as well as increasing the axis of the security forces,” a source in the central security establishment said.
Furthermore, security officials also highlighted that the success of anti-Naxal operations, particularly in Chhattisgarh, was predominantly due to the presence of local troops in the District Reserve Guard (DRG), which is composed of troops from police, surrendered Maoist cadres and Bastar Fighters.
Bastar Fighters are a specialised force of the state police created in 2022 to deal with Naxal violence in the worst-hit Bastar region.
“80 percent of the credit for the success of anti-Naxal operations should go to the clarity and bravery of the DRG fighters. The Remaining 20 percent would go to improved intelligence gathering, infrastructure and coordination between different security forces deployed in different districts,” another official from the central security establishment said.
“There is hardly any operation carried out by force from a single district nowadays. In general, forces are mobilised from all possible sides to the area where the presence of Maoists seems to be confirmed. This convergence helps in containing gaps that used to be capitalised in the past.”
In Jharkhand, security officials said the deployment of forces and sharp intelligence gathering had limited the Maoist issue to a few districts compared to a decade ago when the issue of Maoists was the topmost concern for the police and security agencies.
They said Maoists had been all but pushed out of the Kolhan forest division, which used to be their bastion, and had shifted to the Saranda forest division in the extreme south of the state, along the border districts of Odisha, such as Mayurbhanj and Keonjhar.
“The biggest Maoist commander Misi Besra is believed to be taking shelter in the Saranda forest division of the state,” a senior official in the security establishment told ThePrint.
Despite highlighting some isolated incidents of Maoist movement and IED attacks in regions such as Parasnath Hills in Giridih district and Jhumda Lugu Hills in Bokaro districts and trijunction of Latehar, Ranchi and Lohardaga districts, the official asserted that the “Maoist threat is on its last leg in the state”.
“Left Wing Extremism is on its last leg in the country but to fasten the road to the end of Maoist insurgency requires sympathetic rehabilitation policies and unprecedented development in the regions dominated by them,” the official said.
(Edited by Sanya Mathur)
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The fight against Maoist terrorists has to be a comprehensive one. Those fighting it out with guns in the forests of central India are getting eliminated, thanks to our security agencies.
But what about the ones who brainwash and indoctrinate young impressionable minds in schools and colleges across the nation into joining this armed movement to overthrow the “bourgeois” government of India? This well educated, well connected and devilishly cunning bunch live a comfortable life themselves – often posing as activists, human rights champions, teachers and professors at reputed schools, colleges and universities. They continue to provide the Maoist rebellion with fodder – young, naive, innocent Indian students.
What action has been initiated by the Home Ministry to exterminate these white-collar Maoists and Marxists living amongst us in urban spaces?
If we are not able to eliminate these Naxalites masquerading as professors and activists, the Maoist insurgency will continue.
Amit Shah’s greatest success is in the fight against Maoists. And Manipur is his biggest failure.
It goes on to show that our security agencies never lacked the ability or the professionalism required to deal with these terrorists. It’s just that the Left-Congress ecosystem was always out to defend and shelter the Maoists. Now that the corridors of power in Delhi are hostile to Marxist ideology, the terrorists are finding it hard to hold on to their territory.