Security forces launch massive op to meet March 31 Maoist elimination deadline

In a bid to meet the March 31 national deadline to eliminate left-wing extremism in the country, a massive operation has been launched by the security forces deployed in the anti-Naxal operations grid.

According to a PTI report quoting sources, the Centre has also initiated the process of preparing an "operations and development" blueprint, which is likely to include an announcement for withdrawal of about five Central Armed Police Forces (CAPFs) battalions from these regions and the launch of multiple welfare schemes.

Strategic redeployment in key regions

The report further stated that about three to four CoBRA units of the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) are being moved from Chhattisgarh to Jharkhand to undertake a special operation in the Saranda forests of West Singhbhum district.

Teams from CRPF, BSF and Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) are being "re-located" in Chhattisgarh's Bastar area with the specific aim of engaging armed Maoist cadres in a gun battle or forcing their surrender.

A cross-border operation involving Maharashtra, Chhattisgarh, Telangana and Odisha is reportedly also in the works.

Countdown to March 31

"The plan is to ensure 100 per cent neutralisation of armed Naxals by March 31, a deadline announced by Union Home Minister Amit Shah. This would either be engaging in encounters or getting affected surrenders.

"Some large operations are being undertaken in these last 5-6 days of the countdown," a top CAPF commander told PTI.

Tracking key Maoist leaders

Security forces are still tracking about 130-150 armed cadres, two central committee members of the outlawed CPI (Maoist) and some other divisional-rank operatives.

Misir Besra alias Bhaskar is stated to be based in Jharkhand, and CoBRA teams are searching for him and his associates. Rammanna, also known as Ganapathi or Laxman Rao is reportedly in touch with Telangana Police and may surrender by March 31, according to officials.

Planned withdrawals and relocation

Another officer said that about three battalions of the Border Security Force (BSF), along with a sector office headed by a DIG-rank officer, are expected to withdraw from Koraput district and adjoining areas of Odisha.

The sector office could relocate to Kandhamal district in the state, and the three battalions will either move for border guarding duties or to Manipur, as the situation may warrant.

Some CAPF battalions from Chhattisgarh will also be withdrawn. An announcement in this context is expected on March 31. The state police and the Chhattisgarh DRG will take over the CAPF camps, the second officer added.

Bastar nears complete clearance

Chhattisgarh Home Minister and Deputy Chief Minister Vijay Sharma declared in Jagdalpur on Wednesday that nearly 96 per cent of Bastar's vast geographical area is now free from Naxal influence.

According to the report, the CAPFs and state police forces have also been asked to undertake a joint "de-mining" exercise to look for hidden Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs) and bombs in Naxal violence-affected regions.

This demining and sanitisation exercise will gain momentum starting next month. Sources said that bomb detection and disposal teams from the 'black cats' commando force NSG and the CRPF will lead this task.

Shrinking footprint of LWE

In February, the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) conducted a fresh review of Naxal violence-affected regions and notified that the number of LWE (left-wing extremism) hit districts in the country is seven.

These seven districts are Bijapur, Narayanpur, Sukma, Kanker and Dantewada in Chhattisgarh, West Singhbhum in Jharkhand and Kandhamal in Odisha.

The nine LWE-affected states, under various categories, are Jharkhand, Bihar, Andhra Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Odisha, Telangana and West Bengal.

According to official data, during 2005-06, a total of 76 districts in 9 states were hit by LWE.

Government’s endgame narrative

Home Minister Shah has repeatedly asserted that the LWE menace, once called the biggest internal security challenge for India in 2010, will see its end by this March.

He describes Naxal violence as a challenge to democracy, saying it has claimed around 17,000 lives of civilians and security personnel so far.

Origins of the Naxalite movement

The Naxalite movement emerged in India in 1967 at Naxalbari, a village in West Bengal located at the tri-junction of India, Nepal and Bangladesh.

The movement began on the bedrock of social injustice, economic inequality and the system's failure to redress the grievances of indigenous tribals and villagers residing in remote forest areas with the 'red insurgents' unsuccessfully declaring to create a corridor from Pashupati in Nepal to Tirupati in Andhra Pradesh, wedging a "liberated" territory along India's eastern flank.

(With agency inputs)