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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.

Sugar Daddy’s Bitter Fight

Radhakrishna Vikhe-Patil

Ahilyanagar (erstwhile Ahmednagar) is the largest district of Maharashtra area-wise. It sends 12 MLAs to the state assembly and hence political parties in the state always struggle to control this district. Since past few years, the current revenue minister Radhakrishna Vikhe-Patil who has won the Shirdi assembly constituency in the district for past seven times and is preparing for the eighth consecutive victory, has been undisputedly controlling the district.


Members of the Vikhe-Patil family, whose interests go beyond politics, have been part of almost all major parties in the last 70 years. The biggest contribution of the family in Maharashtra has been its role in setting up Asia’s first cooperative sugar mill in Ahmednagar right after independence by late Vitthalrao Vikhe-Patil under the guidance of then Congress stalwart Dhananjay Gadgil. It changed the rural economy and introduction of sugarcane as a cash crop contributed to uplift of people in villages and towns in several parts of Maharashtra.


Radhakrishna Vikhe-Patil is the grandson of Vitthalrao Vikhe-Patil. Born on June 15, 1959, he began his political career as the district head of the Youth Congress in 1986. He won his first assembly election in 1994 from Shirdi on the Congress ticket. However, after his father left the party and joined Shiv Sena, Radhakrishna too resigned from post and quit the party. He won with a thumping majority in the by-polls and became minister for entrepreneurship and rehabilitation departments. He returned to the Congress in 2004 and was minister of School Education, Transport, Ports, Law and Judiciary, Agriculture, FDA and Marathi language, under different Chief Ministers Between 2008 and 2014. In 2014 he became the leader of opposition of the state assembly. In 2019, ahead of the Lok Sabha election, his son Dr. Sujay joined the BJP leaving little chance for Radhakrishna Vikhe-Patil but to follow him. He was entrusted with the responsibility of Housing department by the then CM Devendra Fadnavis. In 2022, Vikhe-Patil became the revenue minister under Eknath Shinde.


Throughout his career, Vikhe-Patil has been known for his focus on issues related to agriculture, rural development, and infrastructure. As minister for Agriculture, he implemented several initiatives aimed at improving the lives of farmers and boosting the state’s agricultural output, while as minister for School education he brought in schemes for improving educational infrastructure across the state. As transport minister he brought in smart ticketing system, initiated computerization of reservations and booking system. His tenure in the role of Agriculture minister was also marked by efforts to modernize agricultural practices, enhance market access for farmers, and address issues such as water scarcity and crop insurance.

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