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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.

Capturing Nandurbar

Nandurbar

Political ideologies and loyalties are no bar in Nandurbar as four members of the Gavit family are contesting from the four assembly constituencies of the district. At the centre of the Gavit clan in Vijaykumar Gavit, a former minister who has represented his constituency six times as an MLA, once as an Independent, a few terms as a member of the undivided NCP and then as a BJP member. His daughter Heena entered the Lok Sabha in 2014 winning the Parliamentary polls. Now, she is contesting the state assembly as an Independent.


The region’s demographics include almost 70 per cent tribals with low education and employment opportunities which has made them heavily dependent on government schemes and assistance. This is one of the reasons the region has given rise to political strongmen.


Gavit was a professor of medicine when he began his political career in 1995 where his campaign was ably supported by his brothers Sharad and Rajendra. He contested as an Independent but aligned with the Shiv Sena-BJP government of the time and was made a minister. He then moved to the NCP, was given a ministerial berth in the Congress-NCP government and then joined the BJP in 2014. He inducted his brothers into electoral politics and sought tickets from various parties for them. The family has seen shifts across parties over the years with the brothers contesting from the Samajwadi Party, the NCP, Shiv Sena and the BJP in various elections.


In 2014, Gavit ensured a victory for his daughter Heena who became among the youngest Members of Parliament from Maharashtra to enter the Lok Sabha that year. She lost to the Congress in 2024 and is now set to contest the assembly elections. To corner the four assembly seats from Nandurbar, the Gavit family has now spread its wings to different parties. While Vijaykumar will contest on a BJP ticket from Nandurbar, his brother Rajendra has got a ticket from Shahada as a Congress candidate while Sharad and Heena are independents contesting from Nawapur and Akkalkuva respectively. With this move, the family is hedging its bets. While contesting from four seats from different parties, it is believed that at least one member will reach the state assembly, which helps the Gavits retain their hold and influence over Nandurbar.

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