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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 Daddy of Dagdi Chawl

Updated: Nov 18, 2024

Dagdi Chawl

His persona as a dreaded ‘home grown’ don with the long moustaches has inspired many books, series and movies in popular culture. He was once feared as the ‘don’ of Dagdi Chawl. For some, he was the Robin Hood who robbed the rich and filled the pockets of the poor while for others, he was nothing more than a murderer and gangster. But Arun Gawli spread a wave of terror from the corridors of Dagdi Chawl. Be it out of fear or favour but the people of Chinchpokli elected him to the state legislative assembly between 2004 and 2009 as a member of his own party, the Akhil Bharatiya Sena. He soon became the Daddy of Dagdi Chawl, probably because his five children called him that.


Gawli joined a gangster’s gambling den in the 1980s in Mumbai and enjoyed initial political patronage from Bal Thackeray who protected him as a ‘Marathi’ strongman. The underworld was riding high in that era and Gawli was the answer to Dawood Ibrahim’s men. But by the 1990s he started attacking even the Shiv Sainiks and allegedly murdered some of them. In that decade, he founded his political outfit, the Akhil Bharatiya Sena. In 2004, he contested the elections from Chinchpokli and won but was convicted in 2008.


A desire—or need—to be seen in the corridors of power saw his wife Asha contest the assembly elections and became an MLA. Asha, too, has been accused or extortion. Their daughter Geeta is a former corporator. Last month, when Milind Narvekar visited the Gawli residence, it sparked curiosity on whether Geeta would contest the assembly elections from Byculla on a Shiv Sena (UBT) ticket.


The more prominent politician in the family is Sachin Ahir, Gawli’s nephew who is best known for his grand dahi handi celebrations at Jamboree Maidan in Worli, his constituency. He was first elected to the state assembly in 1999 and was made minister for housing in 2020. Even while Gawli may have wanted to consolidate political power within the family, Ahir turned against the uncle and joined the undivided NCP and contested the Lok Sabha elections against Gawli.


Ahir is now an MLC from the Shiv Sena (UBT). Another politician in the clan is Gawli’s uncle Hukumchand Yadav who was a legislator from Khandwa in Madhya Pradesh.

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