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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.

NCP (SP) suffers from confusion over symbol

Updated: Nov 29, 2024

NCP

Mumbai: Did the confusion over party symbols cost Sharad Pawar’s NCP at least nine Assembly seats. Yes, looking at the votes tally this fact has been underscored.


A man blowing the turha is the election symbol of the NCP (Sharadchandra Pawar). However, the symbol trumpet misled the voters in many constituencies. In Jintur, Ghansavangi, Shahapur, Belapur, Anushakti Nagar, Ambegaon, Parner, Kej and Paranda rival parties smartly fielded independent candidates with the symbol of a trumpet, spreading confusion among rural and illiterate voters in these nine seats in Maharashtra. As a result the rival candidates narrowly escaped forcing the debacle for NCP (SP) candidates.

NCP (SP) candidate Vijay Bhamble lost to Meghana Bordikar of the BJP by 4,516 votes in the Jintur assembly seat, where the unknown independent candidate with the trumpet symbol, surprisingly garnered over 7,430 votes. Similarly this happened with Rajesh Tope in Ghansavangi who lost to Hikmat Udhan of ShivSena (Shinde) 2,309 votes. Independent candidate with a trumpet symbol got 4,830 votes.


Pandurang Barora, Sandeep Naik, Fahad Ahmed, Devdutta Nikam, Rani Lanke, Prithviraj Sathe and Rahul Mote who lost to this symbol trumpet with narrow margin.


Significantly, this is not happening for the first time. Five months ago during the Lok Sabha election the NCP faced the same problem. NCP (SP) candidate Shashikant Shinde lost to BJP candidate Chhatrapati Udayan Raje Bhosale by 33,000 votes in the Satara Lok Sabha seat, where the independent candidate Sanjay Gadhe, with the trumpet symbol, surprisingly managed to get over 37,000 votes. The same confusion also significantly reduced the victory margins of NCP (SP) candidates in other constituencies.


The NCP (SP) had appealed to the poll panel to not allot any symbol resembling the party's trumpet symbol to any other party or Independent candidate to avoid confusion among voters. The party got the relief from the Election Commission of India. The Commission barred the usage of the word 'tutari', which is the Marathi translation of trumpet. A man blowing a trumpet (tutari) is the election symbol of the NCP (SP).


The party claimed that it suffered and lost votes in the recent Lok Sabha elections due to the mention of the trumpet symbol as 'tutari'. The Election Commission made it clear that it had agreed to a request by NCP (SP) for prominent display of its poll symbol — man blowing 'turha' — on ballot units of EVMs, but refused to freeze the trumpet symbol.


NCP state president Jayant Patil said, “The candidates who have lost the election due to this trumpet symbol have lodged their complaints with the party. We are seriously thinking over this issue. After the consultations with the legal experts we will decide the further course of action”.

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