top of page

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.

Playing Third Innings

ree

Shiv Sena under Chief Minister Eknath Shinde has fielded former MP, former Editor Sanjay Nirupam from Dindoshi assembly constituency. A seasoned journalist, he had begun his political journey as a strong voice and a North Indian face for Shiv Sena about three decades ago. It appears as if he has been entrusted with the same task yet again.


Born on February 6, 1965, in Rohtas, Bihar, Nirupam began his career in journalism in 1986 and used to edit Sabrang, a weekly magazine of the Express group. The Shiv Sena felt a need to spread among Hindi population of the city during Ayodhya agitation and the party came up with an idea of Hindi version of its Marathai mouthpiece Saamana. Nirupam was chosen as the editor of the magazine, but was entrusted with responsibilities in the party far beyond the scope of an editor.


He was asked not only to build support for Shiv Sena among the north Indian residents of Mumbai but also to establish organizational networks in states like Uttar Pradesh and Bihar. He initiated a weekly feature in the tabloid titled “Khula Manch,” where Bal Thackeray answered questions from Hindi-speaking readers. Through his answers, Thackeray conveyed that Shiv Sena was not just a party of Maharashtrians but of all Hindus, irrespective of their language. Nirupam was made the “Sampark Pramukh” (Contact Chief) of Shiv Sena for the north Indian states. In 1996, Nirupam organized the “Uttar Bharteeya Mahasammelan,” a gathering of north Indians addressed by Bal Thackeray. With his sharp and aggressive editorials and political acumen, Nirupam proved himself to be the person Shiv Sena was looking for.


As a politician, Nirupam’s career skyrocketed within the Shiv Sena. His nomination for the Rajya Sabha shocked everyone in the political corridors. Even Sanjay Raut, who had joined eight months earlier in July 1992, was not considered for the Rajya Sabha. As a parliamentarian, Nirupam aggressively represented his party and even stirred controversy within the BJP, Shiv Sena’s alliance partner, by making several allegations against Pramod Mahajan and criticizing him in the Hindi Saamna. Nirupam had the tacit support of Bal Thackeray, who pretended to reprimand him in front of Mahajan when he rushed to Matosri lamenting about Nirupam. Thackeray appointed him as one of the “Upnetas,” the top strata of the party after the supremo.


However, with the meteoric rise within Shiv Sena, Nirupam had made several enemies for himself within the party and he had to quit the party. He then joined the Congress and was elected to the Lok Sabha, representing the Mumbai North constituency from 2009 to 2014. However, his prime role – to gather the North Indians in Mumbai around the party - didn’t change.

Comments

bottom of page