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By:

Abhijit Mulye

21 August 2024 at 11:29:11 am

Gadchiroli SP declares Maoist menace ‘almost over’

Mumbai: In a resounding statement signalling a historic shift, Gadchiroli Superintendent of Police (SP) Neelotpal has declared the district, once the dark heart of the ‘Red Corridor,’ is on the verge of becoming completely free of the Naxal menace. The SP expressed absolute confidence in the complete eradication of the banned CPI (Maoist) presence, noting that the remaining cadres have dwindled to a mere handful. “There has been a sea change in the situation,” SP Neelotpal stated,...

Gadchiroli SP declares Maoist menace ‘almost over’

Mumbai: In a resounding statement signalling a historic shift, Gadchiroli Superintendent of Police (SP) Neelotpal has declared the district, once the dark heart of the ‘Red Corridor,’ is on the verge of becoming completely free of the Naxal menace. The SP expressed absolute confidence in the complete eradication of the banned CPI (Maoist) presence, noting that the remaining cadres have dwindled to a mere handful. “There has been a sea change in the situation,” SP Neelotpal stated, highlighting the dramatic turnaround. He revealed that from approximately 100 Maoist cadres on record in January 2024, the number has plummeted to barely 10 individuals whose movements are now confined to a very small pocket of the Bhamragad sub-division in South Gadchiroli, near the Chhattisgarh border. “North Gadchiroli is now free of Maoism. The Maoists have to surrender and join the mainstream or face police action... there is no other option.” The SP attributes this success to a meticulously executed multi-pronged strategy encompassing intensified anti-Maoist operations, a robust Civic Action Programme, and the effective utilisation of Maharashtra’s attractive surrender-cum-rehabilitation policy. The Gadchiroli Police, especially the elite C-60 commandos, have achieved significant operational milestones. In the last three years alone, they have neutralised 43 hardcore Maoists and achieved a 100 per cent success rate in operations without police casualties for nearly five years. SP Neelotpal highlighted that the security forces have aggressively moved to close the “security vacuum,” which was once an estimated 3,000 square kilometres of unpoliced territory used by Maoists for training and transit. The establishment of eight new police camps/Forward Operating Bases (FoBs) since January 2023, including in the remote Abujhmad foothills, has been crucial in securing these areas permanently. Winning Hearts, Minds The Civic Action Programme has been deemed a “game changer” by the SP. Through schemes like ‘Police Dadalora Khidaki’ and ‘Project Udaan’, the police have transformed remote outposts into service delivery centres, providing essential government services and employment opportunities. This sustained outreach has successfully countered Maoist propaganda and, most critically, resulted in zero Maoist recruitment from Gadchiroli for the last few years. Surrender Wave The state’s progressive rehabilitation policy has seen a massive influx of surrenders. “One sentiment is common among all the surrendered cadres: that the movement has ended, it has lost public support, and without public support, no movement can sustain,” the SP noted. The surrender of key figures, notably that of Mallojula Venugopal Rao alias ‘Bhupathi,’ a CPI (Maoist) Politburo member, and his wife Sangeeta, was a “landmark development” that triggered a surrender wave. Since June 2024, over 126 Maoists have surrendered. The rehabilitation program offers land, housing under the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana, and employment. Surrendered cadres are receiving skill training and are successfully transitioning into normal life, with around 70 already employed in the local Lloyds plant. A District Reborn The transformation of Gadchiroli is now moving beyond security concerns. With the decline of extremism, the district is rapidly moving towards development and normalcy. The implementation of development schemes, round-the-clock electricity, water supply, mobile towers, and new infrastructure like roads and bridges is being given top priority. He concludes that the police’s focus is now shifting from an anti-Maoist offensive to routine law-and-order policing, addressing new challenges like industrialisation, theft, and traffic management. With the Maoist movement in “complete disarray” and major strongholds like the Maharashtra-Madhya Pradesh-Chhattisgarh (MMC) Special Zone collapsing, the SP is highly optimistic. Gadchiroli is not just getting rid of the Naxal menace; it is embracing its future as a developing, peaceful district, well on track to meet the central government’s goal of eradicating Naxalism by March 31, 2026.

A family torn apart

Kirtikar

The Lok Sabha polls saw high drama this year, especially in Maharashtra where the split in two parties had also seen families divide over their political loyalties. On the day of polling for the Lok Sabha elections in April this year, Meghna Kirtikar openly declared that she had disapproved of her husband Gajanan Kirtikar’s decision to go with Eknath Shinde. It was an example of how the party split had affected die-hard Shiv Sena-loyalist families. She even used not-so-polite language while addressing the chief minister. While the veteran union leader and former member of Parliament went with Shinde, his son Amol had stayed back with Uddhav Thackeray. In the Lok Sabha polls, the father-son were almost pitted against each other but then the senior Kirtikar pulled out of the contest for a ticket, instead, throwing his weight behind his son. Amol lost by a meagre 48 votes, it brought into the open a political divide within the family. A Shiv Sena leader even called for Gajanan’s expulsion for ‘anti-party activities’ which included campaigning for his son.


Gajanan Kirtikar began his career as a union leader and was an MLA from Malad for from 1990. Between 1995 and 1999, during the Shiv Sena-BJP government, Kirtikar was made the minister of state for home and tourism. A fiery union leader, Kirtikar led the Sthaniya Lokadhikar Samiti Mahasangha for several years. The organisation was affiliated to the Shiv Sena and fought for the rights of Maharashtrians who were employed.


In 2014, he successfully contested the Lok Sabha elections and defeated Congress veteran Gurudas Kamat. His victory run continued when he defeated Sanjay Nirupam by over 2.5 lakh votes becoming a ‘giant killer’. It was believed that the Mumbai North West constituency, which has a sizeable population of non-Marathi speakers would elect the Hindi-speaking Nirupam. During his tenure as an MLA, Kirtikar has also been a minister for home and tourism during the Sena-BJP government between 1995 and 1999.


His son Amol was a part of the Yuva Sena led by Aditya Thackeray and has been relatively low profile. The day the party announced his nomination from the Mumbai North West parliamentary constituency, he received summons from the Enforcement Directorate for questioning in what was called the ‘khichdi scam’ or irregularities in awarding contracts to distribute food to migrant workers and the homeless during the Covid lockdown. That was the time the Shiv Sena (UBT) had majority influence in the municipal corporation. Amol’s loss by 48 votes became the lowest victory margin in the polls.

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