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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.

Poll Sentinel

Updated: Oct 22, 2024

As India’s Chief Election Commissioner (CEC), Rajiv Kumar faces a daunting political landscape ahead of the Maharashtra and Jharkhand Assembly elections. In the former state particularly, where the electorate is polarized and major parties like Shiv Sena and the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) are fractured, Kumar’s leadership will be tested like never before. His stewardship of the Election Commission (EC) has drawn scrutiny, but he has remained resolute in defending the integrity of the electoral process.


Kumar’s resolve came under the spotlight after the Congress party, defeated in last week’s Haryana Assembly elections, raised questions over the functioning of EVMs, particularly about the state of their batteries. The CEC dismissed the allegations with a rare blend of technical precision and disdain for unfounded claims.


Under Kumar’s leadership, the EC has continuously worked to demystify the functionality of EVMs. Ahead of the Lok Sabha, Kumar, deploying humour in the form of Urdu poetry, called upon political parties to maintain decorum even in the heat of the battle while emphasizing the robustness and security of EVMs.


Yet, while Kumar’s ability to manage technical disputes over voting machines is a hallmark of his leadership, he faces challenges of a different kind in Maharashtra. The schism within the Shiv Sena and the NCP has created a complex battlefield. On one side is Uddhav Thackeray’s faction and on the other is the breakaway group led by Eknath Shinde, which enjoys the backing of the BJP. Similarly, Sharad Pawar’s NCP is fragmented, with his nephew Ajit Pawar aligning with the ruling party. This division has raised concerns about how symbols and party identities will be handled in the electoral process.


The EC faced flak from Thackeray and Pawar senior after the poll panel was accused of doing the bidding of the ruling BJP in awarding the party name and poll symbols of both the Shiv Sena and the NCP to the rebel factions led by CM Eknath Shinde and Ajit Pawar.


A recent flashpoint involved NCP (Sharad Pawar)’s plea for greater visibility of their election symbol, a man blowing a trumpet, on EVM ballot units. Kumar granted this request but declined to freeze the symbol, thus balancing transparency with pragmatism.


In a country where technology, elections, and politics often intersect in contentious ways, Kumar’s most daunting challenge will not be handling machines but managing perception. The increasing prevalence of deepfakes and AI-driven disinformation campaigns could further complicate the EC’s mission of ensuring free and fair elections. Kumar is well aware of these dangers, having issued warnings against malicious narratives prior to the Lok Sabha elections.


Kumar’s leadership has been a mix of methodical rigor and principled firmness. But as Maharashtra goes to polls, he will need every ounce of that resolve. Far more than EVMs, ensuring a smooth election in one of India’s most politically fractured states will demand the Election Commission, under Kumar’s watchful eye, maintain its most precious asset: public trust.

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