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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 Rauts Riding High

Rauts

You can admire him or you can hate him but it’s hard to ignore Sanjay Raut. Always in the news for his scathing criticism of the opponents, especially the BJP, he has fashioned himself on the lines of Bal Thackeray—fiery editorials, brash language and controversial statements. His younger His younger brother Sunil entered the state legislative assembly in 2014 from Vikroli and is the Shiv Sena (UBT)’s candidate for the upcoming polls.


Sanjay dons multiple key roles in the Shiv Sena (UBT). The editor of Saamna, the party mouthpiece and a four term Rajya Sabha member, Sanjay is famous for his scathing attacks on the opposition—verbally and in writing. His easy-to-read style of writing as a journalist makes his editorials a hit among the Shiv Sainiks as well as non-Sena followers. He loves to be in the news with his sharp-tongued criticism of the BJP and is the most vocal and visible leader of the Shiv Sena (UBT). When the Thackerays do not want to respond, it is Sanjay who leads the charge.


He is supposed to have led the party’s bold decision to break away from the BJP in 2019 and try an experiment with the Congress and the NCP. He wanted his party boss, Uddhav Thackeray to become the chief minister. His warm relations with Sharad Pawar seem to have helped in the negotiations and the first MVA government was formed. While he may be credited with getting a Thackeray in the CM’s chair, he was also the man to be blamed with Eknath Shinde walked out with several legislators. They all blamed him for “ruining the party”, for surrounding Thackeray with only a close coterie. He’s even produced and written the biopic on Thackeray. Sanjay’s rise has been meteoric; he began his career in the circulation department of a leading media house and aspired to edit the paper some day. Inspired by Bal Thackeray’s editorials and his brand of fiery politics, he joined Saamna and the Shiv Sena and emulated the senior Thackeray’s style.


Sanjay has often courted controversy often for his politically incorrect and inflammatory statements. In the past, he has demanded that the voting rights for Muslims should be suspended for a period of time to avoid the community’s misuse as a ‘vote-bank’. In 2022, he served a prison term for his alleged role in the ‘Patra Chawl’ scam where he is accused of having taking kickbacks from Pravin Raut, the main accused in the Rs 60,000 crore scam. After Shinde split the Sena, Raut was seen on television frequently accusing the MLAs of being ‘gaddars’ and make unfavourable remarks on the people who left.

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