Chhattisgarh: Security Forces Launch Major Offensive Against Naxals in Maoist Stronghold

Raipur: Security forces on Wednesday launched a major offensive against Naxals in the core area of the red in Bijapur district under south Bastar in Chhattisgarh.

However, cops are tightlipped on the development so far and maintained that ‘Any significant outcome (of the anti-Naxal operation) will be made known (to the media) at appropriate time’.

“Several search parties of security forces on Wednesday launched anti-Naxal operations at some places”, a senior district police officer said.

Sources said that the security forces have launched a major offensive against Maoists in the Naxals’ Battalion number one area on the border of Bijapur and Sukma districts in south Bastar.

This is considered the core area of Maoists, guarded by the formidable military formation of the ultras, Battalion number one.

Security forces have been trying to make inroads into this area for quite some time, a senior police officer said.

The Battalion number one, once headed by Hidma, the Central Committee member of the outlawed CPI (Maoist), is considered a formidable combat force of the ultras.

Hidma, said to be involved in many major attacks on security forces in Bastar in the last one and half decades, has proved to be elusive for the security personnel for the last two decades.

Battalion number one is now headed by Barsa Deva, considered a loyalist of Hidma.

A senior police officer revealed that Maoist influence is now confined to only a few pockets in three south Bastar districts of Bijapur, Sukma and Narayanpur.

“Bastar will completely be freed of Maoist influence when the Naxals are driven out of these pockets. The Maoists have now considerably weakened in strength and fighting capability following neutralization of a sizable number of senior cadres, seizure of large numbers of automatic weapons and destruction of their arms manufacturing facilities in Bastar”, the police officer said.