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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.

Running SP As His Fiefdom

Updated: Nov 25, 2024

SP

In Maharashtra, the Samajwadi Party is known only by one man—Abu Asim Azmi. The party may well be led by the Yadav family, but outside of its home turf, Uttar Pradesh, the SP has a presence in Maharashtra, largely due to the efforts of Azmi. The politician has had a controversial career, first jumping into the spotlight for his arrest under the stringent TADA or Terrorism and Disruptive Activities (Prevention) Act in the early 1990s. He was arrested for allegedly arranging flight tickets for a man who was accused in the 1993 bomb blasts that rocked Mumbai city. After spending two years in jail, he was acquitted and that paved the way for his career in politics.


Mulayam Singh Yadav, then the president of the SP, appointed Azmi as the party president in Maharashtra, recognising the following Azmi had gathered among the Muslims hailing from the north of India but residing in Maharashtra. In its first election in Maharashtra, the SP, led by Azmi, won three assembly seats but the MLAs didn’t stay in the party for long. Azmi was accused of being authoritarian and dictatorial in his working style. With no other senior leader in Maharashtra, he treated the party as his fiefdom. But the leadership believed that Azmi could bring them results and sent him to the Rajya Sabha in 2002. He contested by lost the 2004 state assembly elections but won from Mankhurd, a Muslim-majority constituency in 2009 and is currently an MLA from Mankhurd.


Even as a member of the legislative assembly, Azmi’s career has been stormy. He’s been a polarising figure known for making intemperate statements. He even got into a physical fight with MLAs from Raj Thackeray’s MNS a few years ago. He had a fall out with party colleague Rais Shaikh who was known to be a more moderate and progressive face. Nawab Mallik, who contested against him from Mankhurd this time, has time and again, accused Azmi of allowing a drug trade to flourish under his watch. Although he claims to fight ‘fascist forces’ in Maharashtra, his speeches have always been polarising.


Azmi’s son Farhan unsuccessfully contested the 2014 Lok Sabha polls from Mumbai and since then has withdrawn from active politics. He focuses on running his restaurants along with his wife Ayesha Takia, a former actress. In 2018, an FIR was filed against Farhan for cheating but he was granted pre-arrest bail. The 2024 assembly elections may prove to be crucial for Azmi as he faces two prominent candidates from Mankhurd. The party has lost most of his known faces who have accused Azmi of running the party as a ‘private limited company’.

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