Chhattisgarh: Security Forces Draw Up Plan Stop Maoism From Staging Comeback
CRPF to stay beyond 2026 in maoist zones to ensure lasting peace, say officials
Raipur: Security forces have drawn up an ambitious plan to end the Maoist menace in the country ‘for once and all’, sources said on Sunday.
As per the plan, the counterinsurgency forces will extend their stay in the Leftwing extremism-hit areas in various states in the country beyond March 2026, the deadline set for ending Maoist menace, till they completely ‘consolidate and then dominate’ these regions to ensure that Naxalism never stages a comeback, a senior CRPF officer told this newspaper, requesting not to be quoted.
“According to the plan, security forces will extend their stay at least by one year beyond March 2026 to further consolidate their position and then completely dominate in these areas to ensure that Maoism and Naxal ideology never return”, the officer added.
A senior police officer posted in Bastar exuded confidence that the security forces will achieve the target set by the Union home minister Amit Shah to end Maoist menace in the country by March 2026.
Sources said the security forces have been assigned the task of launching different campaigns to reach out to the local population and address their basic issues, as part of the plan to clear these areas of Maoist influence completely.
They have been asked to carry out health programmes, lay infrastructure, make Aadhaar cards for the local people, ensure supply of public district system (PDS) materials as well as education for the children, the police officer said.
“We will ensure that complete normalcy is restored in these areas to pave way for the local police to take over the Forward Operating Bases (FOBs) currently manned by the Central forces such as CRPF, Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) and Border Security Force (BSF)”, the CRPF officer said.
Around 400 FOBs have been opened by CRPF in the core Leftwing extremism-hit areas in various states.
Security forces meanwhile are gearing up to make inroads into other core areas of Maoists in Abujhmad and other Naxal strongholds in south Bastar including Indravati National Park in Chhattisgarh after the success of the 21-day anti-Naxal operation in Karregutta Hills range on Chhattisgarh-Telangana border launched on April 21, leading to the killing of 31 Maoists.
The Central forces are going to stay in Naxal-affected areas in 2027 and then gradually withdraw after handing over their camps to the local police, sources said.
According to the latest official data, the Leftwing extremism-affected districts in the country fell from 126 to 90 in April 2018, 70 in July 2021 and 38 in April 2024.
The number of the most-affected districts fell from 12 to six- four in Chhattisgarh (Bijapur, Kanker, Narayanpur and Sukma), one in Jharkhand (West Singhbhum) and one in Maharashtra (Gadchiroli).