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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.

Lording Over Satellite City

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In the nineties, Ganesh Naik was a formidable name in Belapur who enjoyed the mass support of the local community, especially the aagris. As a Shiv ‘Sainik’, he helped the party grow its base in the area and is known to have single-handedly run the Navi Mumbai Municipal Corporation (NMMC) or years with an iron fist, decimating opposition. In 2009, he quit the Sena to join the NCP with scores of his supporters following him into the party. But for a man who views political supremacy and electoral winnability as the most important criteria for a career in politics, he moved to the BJP exactly after a decade in 2019. He had lost the assembly elections in 2014 probably in the famous ‘Modi Wave’. Until then, Naik had been on a mega winning spree. AT that time, he took along almost 50 corporators from the municipal corporation, which underscores the value he brings to a party. Naik has proudly claimed to have controlled the NMMC since its inception in 1992.


Naik entered the state assembly in 1994 when he won from Thane with a record margin. It was the time when the Shiv Sena’s Anand Dighe was a formidable force in Thane and Naik got the support of the party cadre. After his fall-out with the Sena in 1999, he joined the NCP and won twice from Airoli. It is said Dighe had opposed him after the initial term. Naik has held several key portfolios in the state government including labour, environment and forests and the lucrative excise department. He was credited with introducing the concept of a Janata Darbar during his time with the Shiv Sena where, as a minister, he would routinely meet people, lend them a helping ear and solve their problems.


His sons Sandeep and Sanjeev are also active in the politics of Belapur-Airoli. Sanjeev became the first and the youngest mayor of the NMMC after its formation in 1992. In 2009, Sanjeev won the Parliamentary elections from Thane on an NCP ticket.


Naik’s other son Sandeep began his career as a corporator in the NMMC which his father unofficially controlled for decades. He was also elected unopposed as the chairman of the standing committee of NMMC. HE rose to prominence after winning the 2009 assembly elections. The family runs several social initiatives in the region of Belapur-Airoli.


In 2024, the father-son duo threatened to quit the BJP if both weren’t given a nomination for the assembly elections. They were considering the NCP (SP) and the Shiv Sena (UBT). Given their political clout, the BJP nominated both, Ganesh and Sandeep to avoid losing ground in the area.

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