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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.

Quota Quagmire

Updated: Oct 22, 2024

The Maharashtra government’s decision to accept the second and third reports of the Justice Sandeep Shinde committee marks a critical moment in the state’s efforts to walk the tightrope of the Maratha reservation in an election year. The committee, established to determine the protocol for issuing Kunbi-Maratha and Maratha-Kunbi certificates based on historical records, aims to include sections of the Maratha community under the Other Backward Classes (OBC) category. The Kunbis, traditionally an agrarian group, are already classified as OBCs in Maharashtra. The challenge for the Eknath Shinde-led Mahayuti coalition has been (and will be) in expanding this categorization to appease the Maratha community without alienating the OBC groups ahead of the crucial Assembly election.

Maratha quota activist Manoj Jarange-Patil’s six hunger strikes since last September turned the spotlight on the Maratha quota issue. With the cabinet’s acceptance of the Shinde committee’s recommendations, the inclusion of Marathas in the OBC category should now bring closure to the year-long agitation. It is to be hoped that Jarange-Patil will be finally placated and stop demanding further entitlements which can only prolong the unrest and deepen the state’s caste divisions.

The repeated protests have not only tested the government’s patience but also inflicted considerable hardship on ordinary citizens, especially in the Marathwada region. The strikes and demonstrations, which have often turned violent, have disrupted daily life across Maharashtra, aggravating caste tensions and threatening administrative stability. While it is easy for rabble rousers like Jarange-Patil to rally crowds and ignite passions, it is the ordinary people who ultimately pay the price for any protracted unrest.

Worse still, these protests have led to deep caste schisms in Maharashtra’s Marathwada region where historical tensions between caste groups have long festered. The Maratha quota issue, and the OBC backlash, have seen some incendiary rhetoric which have literally translated into incendiary action.

The Maratha community’s aspirations for inclusion and economic upliftment are understandable, but these goals should not be achieved at the expense of social harmony. Figures like Jarange Patil are skilled at turning such issues into high-stakes, emotive dramas, capitalizing on popular anxieties of a community. His appeal to Marathas and farmers to gather en masse for the Dussehra upcoming rally is yet another instance of his ability to galvanize support through a show of strength, even when the real issues have largely been addressed by a government that has understandably bowed to electoral pressure. The Mahayuti, already smarting from a severe drubbing in the Lok Sabha election, has walked gingerly in handling the Maratha quota issue. Now, Maharashtra’s diverse social fabric cannot withstand endless agitations that pit caste against caste, each vying for a larger slice of the pie.

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