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Diplomania
Oct 104 min read

28 Maoists killed in Chhattisgarh as part of an encounter by the Special Forces

By: Srikrishnadeva


The author is a second-year master’s student at the Jindal School of International Affairs. He can be reached at 23jsia-srikrishnadeva@jgu.edu.in


Introduction


In one of the biggest encounters after the April 16th incident, the security forces in a joint operation with the Special Task Force (STF) and the District Reserve Guard (DRG) in Chhattisgarh, had managed to kill 28 suspected Maoists in an encounter that had taken place in the Narayanpur district on Friday, the 4th of October 2024. As per statements by the Bastar police, the encounter first began in Abhujad forest, located at the inter-district border between Narayanpur and Dantewada, at around 1 PM. The encounter specifically took place around the three villages of Govel, Nedur and Tultili, located 40 kilometres from the Dantewada Headquarters. The resultant of the encounter has furthermore led to the seizing of arms and ammunition, consisting of a cache of AK-47 rifles and 1 SLR (self-loading rifle) with exact details of the number of weapons and ammunition yet to be ascertained. The encounter is seen to be the 2nd biggest one, after the 16 April incident which had ensued in the Kanker district, claiming the lives of 29 Maoists. The operation encompassed a pincer-type movement which took the Maoists completely by surprise. The success of the same was hailed by the Chhattisgarh government, with Vishnu Deo Sai, Chief Minister of Chhattisgarh saluting their “courage” and “indomitable bravery”. 


Image Source: Listed in references


Situation Analysis


Image Source: Listed in references


As per a statement by the Inspector General of Police (IGP) Surendaraj P., the operation is still underway with security forces making progress, cornering the Maoists in the jungles of Thulthuli and villages of Gevdi, located south of Abujmad. The IGP had further stated that close to around 50 anti-Maoist operations had already been undertaken as part of the Maad Bachao Abhiyan campaign. The operation was closely assisted by the State Intelligence Branch (SIB), which provided comprehensive intelligence on the presence of Company-6 battalion and platoon 16 of the Peoples’ Liberation Guerrilla Army, an armed wing of the CPI-M (Maoist)  party and the presence of senior members of the Dandakaranya Special Zone Committee (DKSZC). 


The Naxalbari Movement


The Naxalite movement in India has been derived from the principles of Mao Zedong, subscribing to the concept of armed struggle by claiming that “power flows from the barrel of the gun”. The movement gradually rose to prominence especially after the deep impact wrought on the Indian communist leaders post the overthrow of the Chiang-Kai Shek government and the establishment of the People’s Republic of China, leading to the formation of larger political groupings such as the Maoist Communist Centre in West Bengal. The movement had seen major leaders like Kanu Sanyal and Charu Majumdar, who released eight foundational documents in 1965 for the movement, endorsing the implementation of armed struggle against the Indian state.


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The Naxalbari movement had seen its peak during the early 1970s which had seen its spread in practically every single state, barring the states in Western India and by 1980, almost around 30 groups were active comprising close to 30,000 active personnel. On the 22nd of April 1980, Kondapalli Seetharamaiah founded the Peoples’ War Group (PWG) which had sought to reinforce the principles of Charu Majumdar, characterized by newly comprised waves of insurgent activities such as kidnapping landlords, spreading the revolt to the Karimnagar and Adilabad District of Telangana.


Government efforts


This was until the government began taking strict measures to address the issue. IPS KS Vyas raised an elite anti-Naxalite commando unit called the Greyhounds, managing to quell the rebellion with several counter-insurgency measures while establishing special laws that allowed the police to effectively detain Naxal cadres. Furthermore, funding from the Security Related Expenditure (SRE) scheme allowed the police to meet recurring insurance and training expenditures effectively. Efforts have been made to furthermore strengthen the intelligence gathering mechanism through coordination with the Multi-Agency Centre at the national and state levels as well as a Multi-Agency Centre (SMAC) at the subsidiary level. Additionally, with the ongoing efforts, the Home Ministry has promised the complete eradication of the movement by the 31st of March, 2026. Schemes such as the Aspirational Districts Programme and the Road Connectivity Project for LWE Affected Areas aim to address the core issues which are scapegoated by the movement to convince the region to fight on its side.


Conclusion


With efforts taken by the government of India along with the CRPF, the movement has subsided but its operations which still continue in the regions of Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh, Odisha and Bihar (also known as the “Red Corridor”) have still remained a cause of concern for the Indian government, especially after the harrowing attack orchestrated by the movement in Sukma, costing the life of 25 CRPF jawans.


Bibliography



The views expressed in this article are those of the author (s). They do not reflect the views or opinions of Diplomania or its members.

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