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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.

Legacy Clash

Legacy Clash

In Indore, a city where the past is never quite forgotten, a recent decision to rename Residency Kothi has sparked an unnecessary and unseemly controversy. The Indore Municipal Corporation’s mayor-in-council has announced that this minor relic of the British era will now be known as “Shivaji Kothi.” What should have been a routine gesture of rechristening has instead opened up a vexatious debate. At the heart of this controversy are two towering figures of Maharashtra’s and India’s history — Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj and Ahilyabai Holkar — whose legacies deserve more respect than to be dragged into a squabble over a minor colonial structure.


The squabble over the renaming appears not only disproportionate but also tone-deaf. To attach Shivaji’s illustrious name to a small, largely forgotten British relic is to insult the grandeur of a leader who carved out a kingdom from the Mughal empire and left a legacy that echoes across western India. To reduce Shivaji’s immense stature to a plaque on a building that holds minimal cultural or architectural significance is to misunderstand the scale of his contributions.


Opponents of this renaming, notably the Congress Party and local organizations, suggested naming the building after Devi Ahilyabai Holkar, the iconic 18th-century queen who ruled Indore and is remembered for her administrative genius and piety. Holkar’s presence quite literally looms large over Indore. The city’s architecture, temples, and civic sense bear her mark.


Yet, this entire controversy feels needlessly divisive, not least because of the social tensions currently simmering in neighbouring Maharashtra, where the Dhangar-Maratha rift has been festering for some time. Notably, Ahilyabai is venerated by the Dhangars—a shepherd community—for her roots in their lineage, a reverence so strong that even Ahmednagar in Maharashtra was recently renamed ‘Ahilyanagar’ in her honour. This connection adds yet another layer to the discussion, showing that Ahilyabai’s legacy is not just local, but has a wide and cherished following.


So, the real question becomes: why this building, and why this debate? Residency Kothi, though historic, is hardly the sort of structure that merits a titanic struggle over renaming. Shivaji’s legacy is far greater than a small plaque on an old colonial building, and Ahilyabai’s contributions to Indore deserve far more than to be shoehorned into a symbolic contest over such a modest piece of architecture.


If the Indore Municipal Corporation is serious about honouring its historic figures, the solution should be simple: go bigger. If the intent is to truly reflect the city’s heritage, rename the city itself after Ahilyabai Holkar. After all, it was under her rule that Indore flourished into a hub of commerce, culture, and religious significance. Her imprint on the city is so pervasive that it would be far more fitting to have the entire city, not just a minor structure, bear her name. As for Shivaji Maharaj, his monumental contributions demand recognition on a far grander scale befitting a figure of his stature.

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