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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.

Voters leaning towards MVA being removed, claims Oppn

Updated: Oct 22, 2024

Voters leaning towards MVA being removed, claims Oppn

Mumbai: Leaders from the Maharashtra Vikas Aghadi (MVA) on Friday alleged that names of voters leaning towards the opposition parties were being removed from the electoral rolls for the upcoming Maharashtra elections.


Addressing a news conference, leaders of the Congress, Shiv Sena (UBT) and NCP (SP) claimed there is no transparency in the functioning of the Election Commission (ECI), and its officers are working under pressure from the ruling parties.


They said the MVA would raise the issue with the ECI. Assembly polls in the state will be held on November 20, and votes will be counted on November 23.


The leaders, especially Maharashtra Congress president Nana Patole, demanded the removal of state Director General of Police Rashmi Shukla to ensure free and fair polls.


Patole alleged that the ECI’s form no 7, meant to delete names from the voters list for different reasons, is being used to remove the names of voters leaning towards the opposition parties, and Chief Minister Eknath Shinde and Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis were behind the exercise.


“Names of voters leaning towards the Congress, Shiv Sena (UBT) and NCP (SP) are being removed from the voters list. This is being done because the BJP is losing polls,” Patole said.


The leader of the opposition in the assembly, Vijay Wadettiwar, said that the ECI should not accept form no 7. “We have observed that seats where the MVA received a lead in the Lok Sabha elections have seen deletion of 2,500 to 10,000 voters,” the Congress leader said.


Shiv Sena (UBT) leader and leader of opposition the council Ambadas Danve claimed that names of 6,000 voters were missing from the list in the Nashik Central assembly seat, and no cognisance was taken about this despite raising the issue with the collector.


He claimed that in Aurangabad Central and Sillod seats, represented by the ruling parties, nearly 27,000 voters were added to the electoral rolls.


NCP (SP) leader Jitendra Awhad demanded that the ECI publish a white paper on the voters list.

He said the print of the voters’ list is so bad that it cannot be read and claimed that even the names, addresses, and photos were wrong. “The way the election is being conducted is suspicious. It is shameful,” Awhad added.


Patole further demanded that the commission cancel the appointment of 50,000 “yojana doots” appointed to promote the government’s welfare programmes, who are being paid Rs 50,000. He alleged that the “yojana doots” are private individuals and they belong to the RSS and BJP.


Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Anil Desai said booth-level officers of political parties should accompany poll officials going to the homes of voters above the age of 85 and physically challenged individuals so that they can exercise their franchise.


He said that on average, there are 4,500 such voters in suburban Mumbai and 6,400 in the city.

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