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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 Arm Strong of Nashik

The Arm Strong of Nashik

The story of Chhagan Bhujbal is a stellar example of how hard work can get one to the top but a few wrong moves can make the entire career trajectory go on a downward spiral. Bhujbal, now 77, began his work life as a vegetable vendor in Mumbai and was among the early ones to join the Shiv Sena after Bal Thackeray founded the party in 1966. Known for his captivating oratory and a fiery attitude, Bhujbal closely rose up the ranks in the party, became a corporator and was twice elected as the mayor of Mumbai. A tiff with Manohar Joshi and other Sena leaders saw Bhujbal defect to the Congress in 1991 under Sharad Pawar’s leadership. By now, he had won a widespread following as an OBC leader. He followed his mentor Pawar to the NCP when the party was founded in 1999.


Bhujbal earned a reputation for being a daredevil politician—he gave fiery speeches, in the eighties when the Maharashtra-Belgaum border issue was on the boil, he entered Belgaum in disguise and hoodwinked the police for a while until he was arrested; as the home minister of Maharashtra, he is believed to have cracked down on the underworld and in 2000, he did what no one had done before—he put his original mentor, Thackeray, behind bars in a case related to the Sena party paper Saamna. Bhujbal founded the Maharashtra Education Trust that runs schools and colleges in Mumbai and Nashik.


His son and nephew entered politics as his successors. Son Pankaj is a two-term legislator from Nandgaon and nephew Sameer is a former Member of Parliament from Nashik and while they enjoy various positions in the NCP, neither has risen to the star status that Bhujbal enjoyed.


Bhujbal’s career was marred by numerous controversies and a jail term. He was alleged to have played a part in the stamp paper scam in which Abdul Karim Telgi was the mastermind; he faced charges in Rs 800 crore scam and even spent two years in jail until he was acquitted. In 2023, he supported Ajit Pawar when the NCP split. His fortunes have, however, dwindled. In 2024, despite news that he was keen on contesting the Parliamentary polls from Nashik, he was denied the opportunity.


Always flamboyant in his dressing sense and oratory, Bhujbal faced the ire of the Maratha community when he opposed the challenged the Maratha reservations during the ongoing agitation by Manoj Jarange-Patil. His son Pankaj’s nomination to the legislative council recently is seen as an attempt to pacify a sulking father who was overlooked for the Rajya Sabha elections in June.

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