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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 Habitual Rebel

Updated: Nov 18, 2024

Pankaja Munde

Pankaja Munde is not contesting the assembly elections this year. However, she has been campaigning for other candidates nominated by the party. In her own words, she has been travelling across the state trying to mend ways between the Maratha and the OBC communities. The communities are on loggerheads after the Manoj Jarange-Patil’s Maratha quota stir that wanted Marathas to be identified as OBCs. She belongs to prominent OBC caste Vanjari and hence it is believed that she had been trying to consolidate the OBC vote for her party candidates.


Born on July 26, 1979, in Parli Vaijnath to Pradnya and Gopianth Munde, a senior BJP leader and former Deputy Chief Minister of Maharashtra, Pankaja completed her schooling at Shri Saraswati Vidyalaya in Parli and later attended Jai Hind College in Mumbai. She graduated with a Bachelor of Science degree from Ramnarain Ruia College in 1999. She also has a management degree and is married to Amit Palwe, an IT professional. The couple have a son named Aryaman.


Pankja had been in headlines for all the wrong reasons over the past decade. It began even before the 2014 assembly election after the accidental demise of her father, who was then a union minister. Just ahead of the assembly polls she called herself the ‘CM in people’s minds’. It was considered to be the expression of her innate desire to rule the state and an expression related to the power struggle in the party.


After the election, she became minister of Rural Development, Women and Child Development, and Earthquake Rehabilitation departments. However, the ‘CM in people’s minds’ tag followed her. She used to speak about it too often. Unfortunately she also received the tag of the first minister of Devendra Fadnavis cabinet whose corruption was exposed. Though there was no immediate political loss to her, the corruption charges that came to be known as ‘Chikki Scam’ stuck to her name for a long time. To add to this insult, she had to bare the injury of losing assembly election in 2019. She wanted herself to be politically rehabilitated immediately. However, that too didn’t happen quickly.


In 2020 she was appointed as the National Secretary of the BJP. However, she kept sulking and lost the chance to take part in strengthening the party’s organizational structure and expanding its reach at the grassroots level.

espite facing challenges and controversies, Pankaja has remained steadfast in her commitment to public service. In the mean time she has mended ways with family members, especially estranged cousin Dhananjay Munde, for whom she even campaign in this election. It’ll be interesting to see how her political career takes turns in the future.

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