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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.

Dynasty Descendants

Updated: Nov 15, 2024

Rebels, multi-cornered contests and dynasts – that’s the overriding theme of the Assembly elections that are coming up this month. Of the 4000 plus candidates in the fray, more than 20 are related to current and former politicians. No political party, despite making loaded statements about not supporting dynasties, is an exception to this trend.


Dynasts, it is believed, have ‘elective value’ with a ready support base, dedicated cadre, the goodwill the family may carry in the constituency and a familiar surname. Sons, daughters, nephews, nieces and in-laws are making their electoral debut in an election which is being fought more on allegations, accusations and changing loyalties than an ideology or development plans. If some offspring remain in the relative’s party, others are trying their luck in different parties with even siblings being split by political alliances.


PART - 3


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Amit Thackeray, MNS

While his father is flamboyant and a crowd-puller, Amit is known to be quieter and low-key. Raj Thackeray’s son has been seen on MNS posters for several years but is now set to make his electoral debut from Mahim.




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Kedar Dighe, Shiv Sena (UBT)

While he hasn’t been active in politics until now, at 44, Kedar Dighe makes his electoral debut from the Shiv Sena (UBT) which is seeking to pit Anand Dighe’s nephew against the Dighe senior’s protégé and incumbent chief minister Eknath Shinde from the Kopri-Pachpakhadi constituency.




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Sana Malik, NCP

Senior leader Nawab Malik’s daughter is said to have managed her father’s constituency while he was in prison. Sana is now contesting the elections from Anushaktinagar.





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Amar Patil, Shiv Sena

His father Ratikant Patil son has been an MLA and a Shiv Sena leader for years. Amar will contest the Solapur South seat.






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Mayuresh Wanjale, MNS

His late father Ramesh Wanjale became the MNS’s first legislator from Pune when he won the state assembly elections from Khadakwasala in 2009. He was best recognised as the man with layers of thick gold around his neck earning him the nickname of the ‘Gold Man’.





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Prabhavati Ghogare, Congress

at 57, is the oldest among political debutantes with a lineage in politics. Prabhavati is contesting on a Congress ticket from Shirdi, which was earlier held by her father-in-law Chandrabhan Ghogare.





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Jyoti Gaikwad, Congress

A lecturer, she is following in the footsteps of her father Eknath Gaikwad and her sister Varsha who is a former minister and now a member of Parliament. Jyoti is set to contest the polls from Dharavi, a constituency her late father and sister have represented.




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Archana Patil, BJP

The daughter-in-law of former Union Home Minister Shivraj Patil-Chakurkar, a veteran Congress leader, joined the BJP recently. She is challenging Congress' Amit Deshmukh in Latur.

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