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As the Government of Bharat is fighting a prolonged battle against the Left Wing Extremists commonly referred to as Maoists or Naxal, there is no iota of doubt that the last decade has turned out to be a determining period in curbing the menace of Maoism across Bharat.
The success achieved at the Maoist front can be measured on many scales including the decline in several attack carried out by the Maoists, the lives lost due to violence pertaining to Left Wing Extremism (LWE) and the spread of the insurgency-infested areas across separate States that fall under the proposed “Red Corridor” of the Maoists.
Going on further, a significant change during the said period has also occurred on the development front, under which projects aimed at providing basic amenities such as roads, electricity, and drinking water have been carried out at war footing in regions, earlier considered a no-go zone for the forces as well as government officials.
These collective efforts have now started to yield fruitful outcomes, which have been duly reflected in the success stories of security forces in regions such as Swabhiman Anchal of Odisha, Chakarbandha region on Bihar- Jharkhand border, Budha Pahad and Parasnath Zone in Jharkhand all erstwhile hotbeds of left wing insurgency.
Additionally, the integrated efforts of the security forces and the administration tasked by the government to augment the development work has also started to turn the tables in the Maoist bastion of Bastar, an administrative division of the State of Chhattisgarh, home to the strongest formation of the Ultras across Bharat.
Integrated Action Plan to tackle LWE issue
Significantly, the incumbent government in 2015 had launched National Policy and Action Plan to contain the issue of LWE. The action plan launched by the government emphasises three major factors, including establishing firm control on Maoist activities through offensive campaigns, the participation of the masses in development projects, and smooth coordination between the LWE affected States and Centre.
According to the details provided by the Union government, as many as 195 security camps have been established across separate States of Bharat as part of the government plan to fill up the vacuum in LWE affected regions. The plan includes the fortification process of hundreds of police station falling in the Maoist infested regions.
As of December, last year, a total of 603 out of the proposed 704 fortified police stations had already been established by the government for which a whopping fund of more than 1500 crore had been allotted by the Centre.
The plan of action also includes schemes such as Security Related Expenditure (SRE), for LWE affected districts, Special Central Assistance (SCA) for most LWE affected districts, and the Special Infrastructure Scheme (SIS) focusing on strengthening of infrastructure in the core Maoist zones under which allocation of crores of rupees have been made.
Additionally, a number of initiatives, such as Civic Action Programme (CAP) being run by the security forces stationed in the insurgency prone regions, the road connectivity project for LWE affected areas, LWE mobile tower project and aspirational districts project, have also been identified and being run by the government with an aim to ensure participation of the common civilians of the Maoist-hit areas.
Notably, in one of the most significant developments towards ensuring the smooth reach of the government schemes and security forces in remote regions infested by insurgency, a total of 10476km of roads has been constructed between 2015 to 2023.
Firming the grip
Since the launch of the new action plan in 2015, the collective efforts of the Union and the respective state government has so far proved to be fruitful, as the figures pertaining to LWE activities suggest a gradual decline over the years.
According to the statistics released by the government, the overall figures of violence unleashed by extremists have come down to 76 per cent in 2022, compared to an all-time high in 2010. Further, the number of deaths including those of security personnel and civilians, has also reduced by 90 per cent from all time high of 1005 in 2010 to 98 in 2022.
In terms of the geographical spread of the left wing extremists, it has now reduced to only 176 police stations out of 45 LWE affected districts, compared to a high of 465 police stations of 96 district in 2010. In all an overall dip of 52 per cent in Maoist violence, 69 per cent in causalities related to LWE and a significant drop of 71 per cent has been noticed in number of lives lost of security personnel in encounters against the Ultras.
In view of choking the funding of the extremist, the Central and the State governments agencies in separate crackdown has so far seized a whopping 68 crores of funds enroute to the Maoist in the said period. Further efforts have been also made to crackdown on the urban network of the extremists (commonly referred as Urban Naxal group) which operates in guise of separate right groups across various cities and small town of Bharat.
Making inroad in Maoist heartland
One of the most significant developments that has taken place under the incumbent Union government regime pertains to the deployment of security forces in core Maoist zone of Dandkaranya, a geographical stretch covering 8 most Maoist affected districts of Chhattisgarh.
The region, which adjoins borders with several states such as Odisha, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Madhya Pradesh and Maharashtra is considered a long held de-facto headquarters of the Maoists, where the security forces have established more than 50 security camps in the recent few years ultimately restricting the frequent movements of the extremist who had been dominating the region for decades.
The recent of these camps has been established in the remote village of Puverti, an alleged headquarters of the Maoists, which is home to hundreds of members of the outlawed outfit, including top commanders like Barse Deva, the incumbent commander of the Peoples Liberation Guerilla Army (PLGA) battalion no 01, the most dreaded unit of the Maoist armed wing and Madavi Hidma, a central committee members of the outlaws carrying a bounty of Rs1 crore.
It is assumed that the establishment of the camp at Puverti is a body blow to the Maoists, who have already been facing the heat in their own bastion given the fall in their recruitment process and the support of the masses which has been on a continuous decline over the years.
Civic Action and Tribal Youth Exchange Programme
One of the brightest initiatives taken by the Security Forces stationed in Maoist affected remote terrains is the ‘Civic Action Programme’. Troops in these areas have been consistently organising free medical camps, and distributing medicines, clothes, utensils, and sports items.
In addition to these efforts, personnel have also conducted blood donation camps in various districts. The comprehensive programs also involve distributing school bags, LED lights, and stationary materials to support students pursuing their studies in these remote terrains, which were previously dominated by insurgents.
One of the flagship initiatives being carried out by the personnel in these regions is the Tribal (Janjati/Vanvasi) Youth Exchange Programme (TYEP) under which selected youths from the remote regions of insurgency-hit districts are sent for an educational tour in separate cities across Bharat. This initiative aligns with the ongoing efforts of the government of Bharat to provide youths from the Janjati community in remote regions with exposure to the mainstream.
The initiatives undertaken by the troops, in conjunction with those implemented by the local administration, have emerged as a decisive force in rebuilding the trust of thousands of individuals who were once sympathetic to the insurgency, driven by either fear or choice. For the residents of these region, it represents nothing short of a miracle, signifying a moment when they can finally embrace their true democratic identity.
Surge in violence against Civilians
Undoubtedly, the aforementioned steps taken by the government have frustrated the Maoists in such a way that they have trained their guns towards the innocent civilians, killing dozens of them by labelling charges of espionage.
According to the figures provided by South Asian Terrorism Portal (SATP), the State of Chhattisgarh recorded at least 66 incidents of killing pertaining to LWE violence in the year 2023, resulting in a total of 88 fatalities. This includes the killing of 37 civilians, 26 security personnel, and 25 Maoists.
In 2022, the State registered a total of 62 incidents of killings, resulting in death of as many as 30 civilians. This indicates that as many as 69 civilians were perished in LWE related violence in the last two years alone.
According to the security experts, the surge in civilian killings denotes nothing but the brewing frustration among the Ultras that their long held bastions have started to fall one after the other.
What lies ahead
Now, at one hand while the significant success achieved by the forces under the integrated action plan suggests that the government is on the verge of eradicating the LWE from Bharat within a span of few years as asserted by the Union Home Minister himself, though on the other hand some of the recent disclosures which emerged from the Maoist’s den of Bastar are nothing but worrisome.
According to the details, the recent attack carried out by the Ultras in the Teaklgudem in January where as many three security personnel were martyred fighting the Maoists, revealed shocking details about the capacity and battle preparedness of the Mao’s men.
In the attack carried out by hundreds of cadres of the PLGA, the Ultras were witnessed wearing helmets and bulletproof jackets, in terms of weaponry, the extremist during the attack launched Barrel Grenade Launchers alongside sophisticated weapons including Light Machine Guns (LMG), Insas rifles and AK47.
However, the most astonishing part was the presence of as many as six snipers team which ultimately gunned down two of the brave personnel of Commando Battalion for Resolute Action during the encounter. Hours later after the deadly attack the security forces during a search operation uncovered a 130-metre-long underground tunnel built with an aim of launching attack or taking shelter after any such major attack.
The unearthing of the tunnel suggests Maoist preparedness to deal with any large scale offensive by the forces which may come in the near future. In all despite that the government has left no stone unturned towards its resolve to eradicating the LWE from Bharat, the Ultras are still believed to be holding its last bastion strongly.
Though it will also not be an exaggeration to say that the strategic establishment of the security camps in the last few years including the tactical headquarters at Puverti backed by development projects has not only boosted the morale of the forces which now enjoys a significant support among masses in the core insurgency zones but it also indicates that the beginning of the fall has started for the Ultras.
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