Senior officers said these two surrenders created a “vacuum of command” in the whole central Indian Maoist corridor, leaving isolated bands with no support, no escape routes and no incentive to continue. (Source: Express Photo)
For the first time since the 1990s, Madhya Pradesh’s Balaghat district faces the prospect of a future without armed Maoist presence.
On Thursday, the last two remaining “hardcore cadres” of the Maoists, Divisional Committee Member Deepak alias Sudhakar and Area Committee Member Rohit alias Manglu, surrendered at a CRPF camp in Balaghat, bringing an operational close to a 35-year chapter of the insurgency in Madhya Pradesh.
“The Maoist movement that began in 1988-90 as an armed insurgency has now come to a complete halt in Madhya Pradesh,” said Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Mohan Yadav.
Balaghat SP Aditya Mishra told The Indian Express that the surrender of the two men followed two major collapses in the Maoist structure over the past month — the fall of commander Kabir’s 10-member group from the Kanha–Bhoramdeo Division, and the surrender of Central Committee Member Ramdher in Chhattisgarh’s Khairagarh.
“Together, these surrenders dismantled the leadership, logistics, and ideological scaffolding sustaining Maoists across this forested tri-junction of Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra and Chhattisgarh,” Mishra said.
Senior officers said these two surrenders created a “vacuum of command” in the whole central Indian Maoist corridor, leaving isolated bands with no support, no escape routes and no incentive to continue.
“In the absence of Kabir and Ramdher, there was simply no operational centre left,” a senior intelligence officer said, adding, “Balaghat’s remaining cadres were cut off, hungry, and alone.”
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Of the two men who surrendered on Thursday, Deepak, active since 1995, was the older survivor. He rose through the Malajkhand Dalam of the Maoists, later serving as a Divisional Committee-level operative, and was widely known for his recruitment networks in tribal belts. His familiarity with every trail and village made him one of the most difficult figures for security agencies to corner. Deepak has a total of 45 criminal cases registered in Balaghat-Mandla.
Rohit, designated an Area Committee Member in the Darrekasa Area Committee, had served as his key associate. Together, they had a combined reward of Rs 43 lakh.
As per Madhya Pradesh Police, in the last 42 days, police secured 42 surrenders of Maoists in the state. “Information obtained from recently surrendered cadres confirmed that all listed armed members of the MMC Zone in Madhya Pradesh had either been neutralised or surrendered,” said a senior officer from the Hawk Force, an elite unit of the Madhya Pradesh Police that focuses on dealing with the Maoist threat.
Security agencies have also claimed that the deployment of 850 confidential police informants, the recruitment of an additional 1,000 jawans, and the appointment of a senior DGP-level officer in the field have also helped tilt the scales in favour of security forces.
Madhya Pradesh’s Balaghat, Mandla and Dindori districts have faced Maoist intimidation and violence since the early 1990s. The first FIR against Maoists in Madhya Pradesh was filed in 1990 at Baihar police station, marking the beginning of long-running anti-Maoist operations that claimed the lives of 38 police personnel and 57 civilians over 35 years.
After the Mohan Yadav government came to power in 2023, seven encounters took place in which four Maoists were killed and one arrested, with weapons such as AK-47s, .315 rifles and 12-bore guns recovered. In 2025, 10 armed encounters occurred, resulting in the deaths of 10 ACM-level Maoists, the highest number ever in a single year.
Anand Mohan J is an award-winning Senior Correspondent for The Indian Express, currently leading the bureau’s coverage of Madhya Pradesh. With a career spanning over eight years, he has established himself as a trusted voice at the intersection of law, internal security, and public policy.
Based in Bhopal, Anand is widely recognized for his authoritative reporting on Maoist insurgency in Central India. In late 2025, he provided exclusive, ground-level coverage of the historic surrender of the final Maoist cadres in Madhya Pradesh, detailing the backchannel negotiations and the "vacuum of command" that led to the state being declared Maoist-free.
Expertise and Reporting Beats
Anand’s investigative work is characterized by a "Journalism of Courage" approach, holding institutions accountable through deep-dive analysis of several key sectors:
National Security & Counter-Insurgency: He is a primary chronicler of the decline of Naxalism in the Central Indian corridor, documenting the tactical shifts of security forces and the rehabilitation of surrendered cadres.
Judiciary & Legal Accountability: Drawing on over four years of experience covering Delhi’s trial courts and the Madhya Pradesh High Court, Anand deconstructs complex legal rulings. He has exposed critical institutional lapses, including custodial safety violations and the misuse of the National Security Act (NSA).
Wildlife Conservation (Project Cheetah): Anand is a leading reporter on Project Cheetah at Kuno National Park. He has provided extensive coverage of the biological and administrative hurdles of rewilding Namibian and South African cheetahs, as well as high-profile cases of wildlife trafficking.
Public Health & Social Safety: His recent investigative work has uncovered systemic negligence in public services, such as contaminated blood transfusions causing HIV infections in thalassemia patients and the human cost of the fertilizer crisis affecting rural farmers.
Professional Background
Tenure: Joined The Indian Express in 2017.
Locations: Transitioned from the high-pressure Delhi City beat (covering courts, police, and labor issues) to his current role as a regional lead in Madhya Pradesh.
Notable Investigations: * Exposed the "digital arrest" scams targeting entrepreneurs.
Investigated the Bandhavgarh elephant deaths and the impact of kodo millet fungus on local wildlife.
Documented the transition of power and welfare schemes (like Ladli Behna) in Madhya Pradesh governance.
Digital & Professional Presence
Author Profile: Anand Mohan J at Indian Express
Twitter handle: @mohanreports ... Read More
