The security personnel deployed in the insurgency-prone areas have achieved some notable success in recent years as they managed to get back hold of regions like Budha Pahad and Parasnath Zone in Jharkhand and Swabhiman Anchal of Odisha.
The success at these erstwhile bastions of the Maoists was followed by a string of surrenders, including some notable commanders of the banned outfits in Jharkhand and thousands of supporters and sympathisers of the Ultras in the Swabhiman Anchal region.
Additionally, several cadres of the outlawed Maoist outfit, including a few from the top brass, were also nabbed in separate operations launched by the forces in a few years leading to a major dent in the proscribed outfit’s organisational structure in Jharkhand and adjoining region.
However, despite the success in States like Jharkhand, Bihar and Odisha, the Left Wing Extremism (LWE) still poses a significant challenge to the forces in the Dandkaranya region (A geographical region roughly covering the southern parts of Chhattisgarh and adjoining bordering districts of Maharashtra and Telangana).
The region still holds a significant presence of the ultras, who at times wreak havoc by arson, launching attacks on security forces, triggering explosions, and disrupting transportation at will in one of the remotest terrains of Bharat.
Though the persistent efforts of the security forces backed by the development works carried out by the administration on a war footing have definitely improved the overall scenario in the recent few years, the surge in civilian killings followed by incidents of explosions and regular disruption caused by the insurgents at the same time is a testimony that the Maoists have been holding their last bastion quite firmly.
If reports are to be believed, the union government is planning to deploy additional forces to combat the ultras in their own citadel. The proposed deployment would be made with a mammoth aim to eradicate the menace of insurgency, as promised by the Union Home Minister.
According to the reports, as many as 3000 personnel belonging to three battalions of the Border Security Force (BSF), currently deployed in insurgency-hit regions of Odisha will be stationed at the Maoist core zone of Abujhmad in Chhattisgarh.
A similar deployment of as many personnel of Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) would also be made as part of the home ministry plan to wipe out the red terror in the mineral-rich State. The development has occurred in the wake of a recent announcement made by Union Home Minister Amit Shah that Bharat is on the verge of eliminating the insurgency.
It is worth mentioning here that the union government move has occurred after security forces in recent years established dozens of forward operating bases in Maoist-infested regions of the country, including in remote regions of Chhattisgarh, ultimately forcing the extremists to move deep inside the forest regions.
It is pertinent to mention here that the decision to move the additional forces in Chhattisgarh from Odisha has been made after security officials recently disclosed that the Maoist insurgency is taking its last breath in Odisha. The announcement was made a year after CRPF officials claimed that the security forces had overpowered and contained the left-wing insurgents in States like Bihar and Jharkhand.
It’s evident that the consistent efforts by the security forces have contributed immensely to effectively curb the spread of Maoist terror in states like Odisha, Bihar, and Jharkhand, following which the union government is currently heading towards containing the extremists in their last bastion. Given the strength and positioning of the ultras in their long-held bastion, it will be nothing short of a miracle if the forces are able to declare the State of Chhattisgarh free from the LWE terror in a few years’ time.
