Political will and a vast net of forward base camps that act as launchpads for action deep inside the jungles of Chhattisgarh’s Maoist-affected Bastar region are major reasons behind the large number of anti-Maoist operations and rising Maoist casualties in the state since late 2023, senior officials told The Indian Express. After the killing of 31 Maoists in an encounter at Indravati National Park in Bijapur district on Sunday took the total number of them killed in Chhattisgarh to 81 already this year, Union Home Minister Amit Shah reiterated his promise of eradicating Left-wing extremism (LWE) in the country by March 2026. Two security forces personnel were also killed in Sunday’s gunfight. Ever since December 2023, when the BJP government of Chief Minister Vishnu Deo Sai came to power in Chhattisgarh, there has been a spurt in anti-Maoist operations and encounters. Last year, 219 Maoists were killed in encounters, making it the year with the highest Maoist casualties since the formation of the state. Chhattisgarh’s former Additional Director General of Police (Naxal operations), R K Vij told The Indian Express, “First, the political will of the central as well as the state government is on the same page, which has helped the forces move forward aggressively, making forward camps filling up the security vacuum in places like Abujhmad (an unsurveyed area larger than the state of Goa) and south Bastar, which were considered to be safe havens for Maoists. These camps are not only restricting the movement of Maoists, but are also helping forces to conduct major operations.” “Moreover, the Niyad Nellanar scheme, where basic amenities are being provided to villagers from these camps, is sending a positive message to local residents,” Vij said. There has been a major rise in the number of forward base camps in recent months. These camps enable road construction work deep inside jungles and the installation of mobile tower networks. This has helped in ending the security vacuum and shrinking areas that were influenced by Maoists for over four decades, officials said. Just this year, four police camps have come up deep inside Narayanpur and Bijapur districts in Bastar division. As per government data, in the six years between 2019 and 2024, a total of 100 police camps have come up in Bastar region, out of which 30 were erected last year. The number of Maoists arrested or surrendered have also seen a major rise in recent times – from 428 arrests in 2023 to 837 in 2024, and from 398 surrenders in 2023 to 802 in 2024. “These surrendered and arrested Naxals provide forces with a lot of intelligence inputs on movement of Maoists and identification of active militia members in villages and the roles they play in the organisation,” said an official. Sundarraj P, Inspector General of Police for Bastar Range, told The Indian Express that better coordination between the different anti-Maoist forces have made a big difference. “Like last year, we are continuing our inter-district and multi-force operations. All our operations were multi-force operations involving the special forces like DRG, STF, Bastar Fighters, CRPF, BSF, ITBP, SSB, and CAF… The recent deployment were helpful in addressing the security vacuum and enhancing our operational reach in the erstwhile Maoist stronghold areas. But the difference maker has been our coordination, which has improved. We have learned a lot from our previous experiences,” he said. He also said there were improvements recently in the tactics used by the security forces. “For security reasons, we can't disclose much, but there is a remarkable improvement and improvisation in our field fighting tactics and strategy. We have tried to rectify the shortcomings from previous seasons and adopted quick-to-the-ground requirements,” he said.
