Anti-Maoist ops have led to a drastic drop in insurgency: Shah
Action against Maoists has accelerated since the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) formed the government in Chhattisgarh in December 2023 and the Centre will eliminate the rebels from the country soon, Union home minister Amit Shah said on Wednesday, a day after 29 insurgents were killed in an encounter with police and the Border Security Force (BSF) in the eastern state.
“Since Narendra Modi became the Prime Minister, the BJP government has been continuing incessant operations against terrorism and naxalism. These efforts have gained new energy after a BJP government was formed in Chhattisgarh. We started setting up security agency camps in 2014,” he said.
Shah added that 250 such camps have been opened by the security forces inside core areas previously under control of Maoists since 2019, ending the security vacuum.
He also stressed that 80 Maoists have been eliminated, 125 have been arrested and over 150 have surrendered since the new government took charge in Raipur. “I can say with conviction that this will continue in the times to come, and under the leadership of Modi, we will uproot naxalism from our nation in a very short period of time,” he added.
An estimate by intelligence agencies and security forces suggests that the number of cadres in the armed wing of the CPI (Maoist) has depleted significantly, with only 2,500-3,000 now active across the country, said people familiar with the matter.
“Maoist-related violence is now reported from around 160 or 170 police stations areas in 45 districts spread across eight states as compared to 328 police station areas in 76 districts in 10 states in 2013. They realise that forces have penetrated deep in their areas,” said another officer aware of the matter.
“We regularly get messages through sources about Maoist cadres offering to surrender or talk. Soon, the red ultras will have only splinter groups left and organised insurgency in the region will be eliminated,” added the officer.
Although the action against Maoists had picked up pace since 2019, the security forces particularly changed gears in January this year after Union home minister Amit Shah visited Raipur.
During that meeting, Shah told senior officials from Chhattisgarh Police, the Central Reserve Police Police (CRPF), Border Security Force (BSF), Indo-Tibet Border Police (ITBP) and central intelligence agencies that they need to clear out Maoists from the region within a year or two, for which government will provide all resources necessary.