Leftwing Extremism Breathing Its Last: Sai
Maoist central body admits severe cadre losses in Dandakaranya; 357 killed nationwide in a year amid intensified operations
Raipur: Maoists’ top body has admitted that the banned outfit, particularly its most formidable unit- Dandakaranya Special Zonal Committee (DKSZC)-, has suffered heavy damage in terms of loss of cadres due to the counterinsurgency measures in the past one year.
A 24-page booklet released recently by the Central Committee (CC), the policy making body of the outlawed CPI (Maoist), said ‘nearly’ 357 cadres including CPI (Maoist) general secretary Basavaraj were killed in separate encounters with security forces in the country in the last one year.
Of them, 136 were women.
The Dandakaranya region, which spans parts of Bastar range districts in Chhattisgarh and Gadchiroli district of Maharashtra has been identified as the area of maximum damage in the CC booklet, with neutralization of 281 Maoists in the belt, constituting nearly 79 percent of the total Naxal casualties in the country in the past one year.
“The Maoist booklet confirms massive losses to their cadre and attributes them to sustained counter-Maoist operations and increasing public resistance to extremist violence”, Bastar range inspector general of police Sunderraj P told this newspaper on Wednesday.
Giving a region-wise breakup of the Naxal casualties in the country in the last one year, the Maoist booklet said 14 deaths were reported from Bihar-Jharkhand, 23 from Telangana, 281 from Dandakaranya, nine from Andhra-Odisha Special Zone / AP, eight from Maharashtra- Madhya Pradesh- Chhattisgarh (MMC), 20 from Odisha, one each was reported from Western Ghats and Punjab.
Top Maoists slain during the period included four CC members including Basavaraj, 16 of state committee rank, 23 district committee members and 83 area committee members, according to the booklet.
This newspaper has accessed the CC booklet.
“The reason for the loss of the forces of the party, People’s Liberation Guerrilla Army (PLGA) and organs of the people is improper implementation of secret methods of functioning, rules of guerrilla war, and the tactics formulated by the CC”, the booklet said.
“It is a clear admission by Maoists’ top body that they are losing ground and cadre strength very fast and they do not have any strong base now”, Mr. Sunderraj said.
Another counterinsurgency officer said, “If they are losing their base in Dandakaranya, they will not be able to sustain movement in any part of the country”.
Chhattisgarh chief minister Vishnu Deo Sai said this clearly indicates that Maoists are breathing their last and the Naxal menace will end by March 2026.