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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.

Why Is Opposition Afraid of Rashmi Shukla?

Updated: Nov 29, 2024

Rashmi Shukla

Mumbai: The opposition Congress has questioned IPS officer Rashmi Shukla being reinstated as the Director General of Police (DGP) of Maharashtra. Shukla was transferred two weeks before the Maharashtra Assembly polls following the Election Commission’s directive after the Congress lead MVA had raised objections over her impartiality.


The state home department formalized her reappointment late Monday, after the election code of conduct ended, and she resumed her duties as the state’s top police officer today. Sanjay Kumar Verma, who served as interim DGP, returned to his original position as DG Legal and Technical. However, the Congress claimed that the EC order had called for Shukla’s permanent removal as DGP.


Shukla, the IPS office from 1988 batch was due to retire in June, was given a two-year tenure as DGP in January this year. The opposition had protested against the state government’s decision even back then. The Congress now demanded that Shukla be asked to retire, arguing that her service extension was specifically for the DGP role and should terminate upon vacating the position. Congress Maharashtra chief Nana Patole wrote to the EC, stating that any reassignment would be legally impermissible.


Further, Congress chief spokesperson Atul Londhe also accuse Shukla of meeting DCM Devendra Fadnavis at his official residence on November 23, during the vote counting for the Assembly elections, while the Model Code of Conduct was still in effect.


The Opposition doesn’t want Shukla to be in the post because it claims that Shukla, as head of the State Intelligence Department (SID), tapped the calls of Opposition leaders, including NCP (SP) chief Sharad Pawar, Sena (UBT) MP Sanjay Raut, and Nana Patole, while the Fadnavis-led BJP was in power until 2019.


After the MVA came to power in 2019, Shukla was viewed as being close to the BJP government and was transferred to Civil Defence in 2020. In February 2021, she was sent on central deputation as the Additional Director General of the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) and later as the head of the Sashastra Seema Bal.


Following her departure from Maharashtra, two FIRs were registered against her in February and March 2022 for allegedly tapping the phones of Opposition leaders and leaking information to Fadnavis. After the FIRs were registered, Shukla moved court. The police then registered another FIR in which Shukla was not named as an accused.


After Shinde government came to power in June 2022, the third case was transferred to the CBI. In September 2023, the Bombay High Court quashed two of the three FIRs against her. The third case was also closed after the court accepted the CBI’s closure report, paving the way for her return to the state.


Poll process over, Shukla returns as DGP

Mumbai: Senior IPS officer Rashmi Shukla on Tuesday assumed the charge as the Maharashtra DGP, a day after she was reinstated to the post following the conclusion of the state assembly elections.


Shukla paid tributes to martyrs at the Commissioner of Police Office in south Mumbai, an official said.


The order reinstating Shukla as the Director General of Police was issued by the state home department on Monday evening. Shukla was removed from the DGP’s post on the Election Commission of India’s directives ahead of the state assembly elections and sent on compulsory move after Congress complained about her.


Sanjay Kumar Verma had taken over as the state’s top police officer in the absence of Shukla. He was to hold the top post till the election process concluded. With the completion of the electoral process and announcement of election results, the Model Code of Conduct ceased to be in force on Monday, the home department order said.


Consequently, the government has ended Shukla’s period of forced leave and she has been asked to resume her role as DGP, it said.


The BJP-led Mahayuti coalition retained power with a thumping majority in the assembly elections.


An IPS officer of the 1988 batch, Shukla is the first woman to hold the position of Maharashtra DGP. Shukla had earlier served as the commissioner of the State Intelligence Department. She was embroiled in a controversy during the previous Maharashtra Vikas Aghadi (MVA) government’s tenure when she was named as an accused in an alleged phone tapping case. The Bombay High Court in September 2023 quashed two FIRs registered against Shukla.

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