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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.

The angry Sainiks

angry Sainiks

When Eknath Shinde split the Shiv Sena in 2022, Ramdas Kadam was one of the most vocal leaders who went with him and even accused Uddhav Thackeray of not valuing the old-timers in the party. In a letter to Thackeray, he had written that while Bal Thackeray had appreciated his work and appointed him as a leader of the party, Uddhav did not follow the same norm and senior party leaders were never taken into confidence. He had even alleged that he and his son Yogesh, an MLA from Dapoli, had been “insulted several times” in the party. Ramdas Kadam is a typical Shiv Sainik, rough and fiery, always gunning for a fight.


He rose within the party in the eighties and nineties when the Shiv Sena was making its mark as a party for the ‘Marathi manoos’, fighting for the rights of the locals. Kadam began his career from Kandivali, a Mumbai suburb, and rose within the party ranks to become a shakha pramukh. In 1990, he was selected to contest the assembly elections from Khed, in Ratnagiri district from where he won. During the Shiv Sena-BJP government’s tenure from 1995 to 1999, Kadam was made minister of state for home and food and civil supplies, underlining his importance within the party. He won the elections for three subsequent terms until 2004. When Narayan Rane, a senior leader from Konkan, quit the Shiv Sena in 2005, Kadam was appointed leader of the opposition in the state legislative assembly during which he played a key role in keeping a check on the government. In 2009, he was defeated by Bhaskar Jadhav but was elected to the legislative council, ensuring his continuity in the legislature. In 2014, when the BJP-Shiv Sena formed the government, Kadam was appointed as the minister for environment and one of the biggest policy decisions he made was to implement a ban on plastic. The ban was subsequently watered down. In 2019, he bowed out of the electoral race, instead, ensuring a nomination from his son Yogesh who successfully contested from Dapoli.


His other son Siddhesh was appointed as the chairman of the Maharashtra Pollution Control Board in March this year, sparking allegations of favouritism to pacify Kadam who is apparently miffed with his party. While the position mandates a senior professional with more than two decades of experience, Siddhesh, although a post graduate in Science, was not seen to be eligible for the high position. Yogesh is contesting the state assembly poll from Dapoli for a second term.

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