Red pocket shrinking, but challenge not over till Bastar can be called safe

RAIPUR : Kashyap, a local tribal truck driver who ferries goods from the core Maoist area of Bacheli in Chhattisgarh’s Dantewada to Visakhapatnam in Andhra Pradesh, is confident that he will reach Bastar in the next five hours. He claims transporting goods from Dantewada was way more difficult – and dangerous – four years ago.

“Till 2012-13, you could expect Maoists to stop you anytime and anywhere on this road. Things have drastically changed now, mostly due to the increased presence of security personnel,” he said.

The other reasons behind this change in Bastar are infrastructural growth and increased awareness against extremists. However, the state’s BJP government still has a long way to go before it completely eradicates Maoist activities.

Though some senior police officers posted in Bastar claim that the region will be Maoist-free by the end of 2017, it’s a matter far easier said than done. A senior police officer told HT that many parts of Sukma, and about 60-70% of the Abujmarh jungles in Nayaranpur district, still await anti-Maoist intervention.

Improved connectivity between remote areas in the state as well as adjoining Telangana also helped the anti-Maoist cause. “Five years ago, communication was biggest problem and even the police thanas were not connected. But now, we have over 150 towers and every police station is linked,” another officer said.

Ensuring that villagers undergo a “change of heart” towards the authorities was very important in the war against Maoists in Bastar, he added.

Others warned against undermining the state government’s rehabilitation policies in Bastar’s changing scenario. While hundreds of lower-rung Maoists – called the “sangham sadasya” – have indeed laid down arms in the recent past, police have also been accused of orchestrating fake surrenders.