Raipur: A fortnight after the Union Home Minister, Amit Shah disclosed that the battle against the Maoists is in its final stages and the time has come to deal a decisive blow to the extremists with a robust strategy, the union government is all set to deploy additional 4000 personnel of Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) in violence ridden Bastar division of Chhattisgarh.
According to the information received, 4-5 battalions of the CRPF, each comprising around 800-900 personnel will soon be deployed in the hinterlands of Bastar to further the ongoing offensive campaign against the Maoist insurgents. If reports are to be believed one of the battalion has already moved to the state while the remaining ones will soon follow suit.
Two battalions of CRPF from Jharkhand and one deployed in Bihar has been asked to move to the state considering reduction of Maoists activities in both the aforesaid states in recent years. The deployment of these personnel is expected to boost the counter-insurgency operations being run by the security forces alongside strengthening the Forward Operating Bases (FOB) opened in the remote regions of Chhattisgarh, earlier considered as hotbeds of insurgency.
#CRPF to deploy 4,000 additional troops (4 Battalions) in #Chhattisgarh for a ‘decisive campaign’ in it’s goal to eliminate #Maoism by 2026. pic.twitter.com/KYChhCWZUB
— News IADN (@NewsIADN) September 8, 2024
Notably, over three dozen such FOBs have already been established by the security forces in the last three years, providing operational edge for the forces grappling with the Maoist’s challenge in Bastar. Further, the opening of these FOBs in remote parts has contributed immensely in strengthening up the intel network of forces alongside halting the uninterrupted movement of the Maoists in villages adjacent to these camps.
Four of such camps/bases have recently come up in Abujhmaad region, the strongest fortress of the extremists where the forces have recently carried out a few successful operations culminating in major losses for the extremists.
Army Maneuver Range in Abijhmaad
The development linked to the deployment of additional security personnel in Chhattisgarh has arrived amidst the state government instructing the Narayanpur administration to acquire over 54000 acres of land for the purpose of “Army’s Maneuver Range” (An area for tactical training) inside the forests of “Abujhmaad” or the Maad region.
The proposed Maneuver range will come up in the Sonpur-Garpa region of Orchha block of Narayanpur district about which the state’s Revenue and Disaster Management Department has already sent a letter to the district administration in August this year as reported by Hindustan Times on Sunday, September 08.
Although, the army will surely not participate in operations against the outlaws, the fact that the men in olive uniforms dominating a major chunk of land in the heart of Abujhmaad will deal a psychological blow to the extremists who are already facing the heat in the region.
Significance of Abujhmaad region for ultras
Stretching over an area of around 4000sq km, the Abujhmaad region is long considered a home to the CPI (Maoist’s) top brass. The hostile terrain featuring dense forests, rivers lacks basic amenities such as culverts, bridges, roads, making it extremely difficult for the forces to make inroads, providing a safe haven to the Maoists.
The territorial complexities of the region, could better be assessed by the fact that even after seven decades of independence the government has not been able to done a proper mapping, survey of the area. These very geographical disadvantages makes the region more suitable for the cadres of the far left group who have used the aforesaid difficulties to their advantage in developing it as a bastion.
Further, the grand cover of the forests provides a safe passage to the outlaws to cross over and enter Maharashtra’s Gadchiroli district if requires, evading confrontation with security forces.
However, the on ground situation has improved for better for the forces in recent years, who have not only established more FOBs in the areas adjacent to the core Maoist zones of the Maad region but they also have succeeded in breaching the long held bastion by carrying out targeted operations, resulting in major losses for the Maoists.
Intensified campaign against the Maoists
Addressing a press conference during his visit to the state, the Union Home Minister while praising the efforts of the incumbent state government in countering the Maoist insurgency disclosed, that around 170 Maoists have been killed during separate operations carried out by the forces in conflict ridden zones of Bastar in this year alone.
A number of such operations have been carried out in the Maad region itself, where the forces have successfully eliminated dozens of Maoists cadres including a few notable ones.
Significantly, within a fortnight of the Home Minister address, where he asserted on the need of tackling the issue of insurgency with iron hands if required, the security forces have carried out multiple operations resulting in neutralisation of around a dozen cadres of the outlawed outfit.
The development indicates the continuation of aggressive approach of the security forces in tackling the Maoists issue in the state of Chhattisgarh as evident in recent few months aligning more with the announcement made by the Home Minister, that the government will eradicate the Maoist insurgency from the country before March 2026.
