Naxal Den Karregutta Hills Set To Host Chhattisgarh’s 2nd Jungle Warfare College
In the longest ever anti-Maoist operation that spanned 21 days carried out in the Karregutta hills, 31 Maoists, including top leaders, were killed, 214 bunkers were destroyed and Maoists’ weapon making units were dismantled
Raipur: The Karregutta hills, a Maoist den till recently along the Chhattisgarh-Telangana border, is set to host the second counter-terrorism and jungle warfare college of the state. The Union home ministry has accorded in-principle approval to establish the institution in the rugged uplands, which was witness to one of the most exhaustive counterinsurgency operations in the summer, a senior officer told this newspaper on Sunday.
The first Counter Terrorism and Jungle Warfare College (CTJWC) in Chhattisgarh was established at Kanker in Bastar in December 2004 and has so far imparted specialised training to over 30,000 security personnel.
“The construction of the facility will be carried out by the Central government, while the approach road and other basic facilities will be provided by the state government,” a government spokesman told this newspaper.
In the longest ever anti-Maoist operation that spanned 21 days carried out in the Karregutta hills, 31 Maoists, including top leaders, were killed, 214 bunkers were destroyed and Maoists’ weapon making units were dismantled. “We need a few more counterinsurgency operations to wrest control of the entire 200 sq km area fully from the Maoists,” a senior police officer disclosed to this newspaper, unwilling to be quoted.
“The Karregutta hills hold immense tactical significance in the context of anti-Maoist operations. For decades, this rugged hilly terrain has been exploited as a sanctuary, movement corridor, and logistics hub by the Dandakaranya special zonal committee and Telangana committee of the Maoists,” a counterinsurgency officer told this newspaper.
The operation launched in April-May demonstrated that persistent security domination and administrative outreach in the Karregutta area was not only feasible but also essential to deny the extremists one of their last remaining sanctuaries, he said.
“In recognition of this, the state government and the Union home ministry is exploring various options including the one to establish the jungle warfare college in Karregutta Hills to consolidate the recent gains”, he added.