Watershed Moment In Counterinsurgency: Maoists’ Impregnable Fortress, Abujhmad, Falls

The events of past 48 hours which saw surrender of top Maoist Mallojula Venugopal alias Abhay alias Sonu, a Polit Bureau and Central Military Commission member of the banned CPI (Maoist) along with 60 rebel leaders and the decision to lay down arms by around 200 Naxal leaders and cadres, guarding the Abujhmad region and north Bastar, led to the crumbling of the Red fortress.

For decades, top Maoists including Central Committee members and zonal commanders used Abujhmad as a training ground and command hub.

“North Bastar and Abujhmad have become Naxal-free, ushering in a new era of peace and development in Bastar”, Chhattisgarh chief minister Vishnu Deo Sai declared in his X post on Thursday.

Mr. Sai said that Abujhmad and north Bastar have been completely freed from terror, while the fight in south Bastar is at its decisive stage.

The goal of making Chhattisgarh Naxal-free by March 31, 2026 is now very close, he said while expressing his gratitude to Union home minister Amit Shah making the major announcement.

In an X post on Thursday, Mr. Shah said, “A landmark day in our battle against Naxalism. Today, 170 Naxalites have surrendered in Chhattisgarh. Yesterday 27 had laid down their arms in the state. In Maharashtra, 61 returned to the mainstream, yesterday. In total, 258 battle-hardened left-wing extremists have abjured violence in the last two days.

I applaud their decision to renounce violence, reposing their trust in the Constitution of India. It attests to the fact that Naxalism is breathing its last due to the relentless efforts of PM@NarendraModi led government to end the menace.

Our policy is clear: those who want to surrender are welcome, and those who continue to wield guns will meet the wrath of our forces.

I appeal again to those who are still on the path of Naxalism to lay down their weapons and join the mainstream.

We are committed to uprooting Naxalism before 31^st March 2026”.

Twenty-seven Naxals in Sukma district and around 100 Maoists in Kanker district in Bastar surrendered on Wednesday.

The surrender of Maoists in Kanker district is yet to be made public officially since a greater number of senior Maoist leaders belonging to Maad division including its secretary Ronita and another top Maoist Rupesh who is in-charge of coordination of various divisions of Dandakaranya Special Zonal Committee and training in Maad (Abujhmad) area are expected to surrender before the police by Thursday night, a senior police officer told this newspaper, unwilling to be quoted.

The counterinsurgency expert said that the influence of Maoists will now be confined to the border region of Bijapur-Sukma districts, known as Naxals’ battalion number one area.

The battalion number one initially had a strength of more than a thousand and was headed by the dreaded Naxal Hidma, who is now a Central Committee member of the Maoists.