As Naxal terror faces near wipeout, several villages in Chhattisgarh set to celebrate Independence Day for the first time in 78 years
The Modi government’s successful and assertive campaign against left wing extremism has reached yet another significant milestone. On 15th August, the national flag will be raised for the first time since independence in 14 isolated tribal villages in the Bastar district of Chhattisgarh, reported The Times of India.
The construction of new security camps in interior regions afflicted by the red terror after 26th January, primarily in the districts of Bijapur, Narayanpur and Sukma, prompted the crucial development.
The Communist Party of India (Maoist) used to dominate these villages and on national holidays, there were black or red flags displayed around along with decrees via banners and leaflets, warning people not to celebrate Independence Day. Public expression of patriotism were prohibited.
However, authorities informed that this year has seen no attempts to stifle celebrations with any flags or diktats. “The tricolour will be hoisted at village centres in the presence of paramilitary forces, Bastar police, and residents. The 14 villages fall in the category of new camps set up after January 26, 2025, meaning they have never hosted any national festival before,” stated Bastar zone inspector general of police P Sundarraj.
He added, “Besides, 15 other villages where security camps came up after August 15 last year have already celebrated Republic Day but will be observing Independence Day for the first time.” According to him, the new security camps are serving as integrated centres for public outreach and progress.
The official further conveyed, “It is heartening to witness the joy and enthusiasm among the villagers in the interior regions of Bastar, who will be celebrating Independence Day for the very first time on 15th August. This historic moment has been made possible by the sustained efforts of our security forces and the establishment of new security camps in these remote areas in recent times. The presence of these camps has not only improved the security environment but also instilled a strong sense of confidence among the local population, enabling them to participate freely and proudly in national celebrations.”
“Youth and children are especially eager to witness the tricolour in their villages. Equally, our jawans deployed in these areas are excited to join hands with the villagers in strengthening the democratic fabric of our nation,” he added.
Wiping out Maoist terror
For the first time, the tricolour will be hoisted in these villages: Gunjepurti, Pujarikanker, Bhimaram, Kutul, Padamkot, Nelangur, Pangur, Uskawaya and others. The villages of Kondapalli, Kutul, Nelangur, Raigudem, Gomguda, and Pidiya are among the most severely Maoist-hit areas.
Residents will receive education on the history and significance of Independence Day in addition to flag-hoisting ceremonies. CRPF units and public officials are leading Tiranga rallies that are already taking place around Bastar.
The District Reserve Guard (DRG), Bastar Fighters, Special Task Force (STF), Chhattisgarh Armed Force (CAF), Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF), CoBRA, Sashastra Seema Bal (SSB), Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP), Border Security Force (BSF) and local police have all been deployed as part of the greater security measures for the event.
According to officials, the program highlights the combined efforts of the government and security forces to make sure that every person whether they live in urban or remote areas feel a connection to the freedom and strength of the country’s constitution. The firm relationship between the government and security forces is also reflected in the active participation of people in planning for Independence Day celebrations.
Union Home Minister Amit Shah has repeatedly established the goal to eradicate the Maoist violence from the country by 31st March 2026 and centre is working aggressively towards that goal.
Recent achievements in operations have contributed to the high morale of security forces. At least 19 security personnel have been killed in clashes throughout the division, while 229 Maoists have been neutralised, this year. Furthermore, Maoists have murdered 28 people on suspicion of being police informants.
Similarly, on Independence Day last year, the national flag was raised for the first time in thirteen remote villages in Bastar area. The Tricolour was raised in Nerlighat (Dantewada district), Panidobir (Kanker), Gundam, Putkel and Chhutvahi (Bijapur), Kasturmeta, Maspur, Irakbhatti and Mohndi (Narayanpur), Tekalgudem, Puvarti, Lakhapal and Pulanpad (Sukma) hamlets marking an event that had never occurred there before.
Massive anti-Maoist operations underway
On 13th August, two Maoists were killed in a clash with security forces in the Manpur-Mohla-Ambagarh Chowki district of Chhattisgarh. They carried a total reward of at least ₹35 lakh. Vijay Reddy and Lokesh Salame died in an anti-Maoist operation along the Banda Pahad hill under the Madanwada police station area, according to District Superintendent of Police YP Singh.
According to him, a group of Indo-Tibetan Border Police also participated in the operation as a support group alogside District Reserve Guard (DRG). On 12th August night, the operation was initiated in response to information regarding the presence of senior cadres in the region.
Singh outlined that Reddy who was a part of Dandakaranya Special Zonal Committee of Maoists had a ₹25 lakh bounty and divisonal committee member Salame held a ₹10 lakh reward. Reddy likewise carried rewards in nearby States, including Maharashtra and the particulars were being checked.
He was reportedly a prominent Maoist figure in the region which borders Maharashtra’s Gadchiroli and oversaw operations in the Maoist organization’s Rajnandgaon-Kanker border (RKB) division. This region is recognised as a training and cache site for Maoists.
On 26th July, the Bastar police stated that at least four Maoist cadres were eliminated in a gunfight with security troops in the southwest of the conflict-plagued Bijapur district, roughly 400 kilometres south of Raipur in Chhattisgarh.
P Sundarraj mentioned, “Based on intelligence inputs regarding the presence of Maoists in the given location of Bijapur district, troops launched a search operation. A gunfight broke out in the evening. So far, four bodies of Maoist have been recovered along with the INSAS assault rifle, self-loading rifle and other weapons besides explosive materials and items of daily use from the encounter scene.”
Additionally, three Maosits were neutralized in a gunfight with security forces in the Gumla region of Jharkhand, on 26th July. They reportedly belonged to the banned CPI (Maoist) offshoot group Jharkhand Jan Mukti Parishad (JJMP). Three automatic rifles, including an AK-47, two Insas rifles and a country-made gun were recovered from the location by the security personnel.
The Maoists were planning an attack on the security forces but the authorities received a tip-off about their hideout at the Ghaghra forest. The latter stated, “The ultras opened fire as soon as security forces reached the spot. Jawans fired in retaliation, killing three JJMP ultras. Two others, who were part of the group, escaped.” The operation was executed by Jharkhand Jaguar and Gumla Police.
A confrontation with troops ended the lives of two Maoists and seriously wounded a security guard, near the Birhordera area in Bokaro district of Jharkhand, a few days prior.
On 18th July, six Maoists were slain in an altercation with security forces in Chhattisgarh’s Narayanpur district. According to P. Sundarraj, the gunfight took place in the Abujhmad region’s forest when security forces were conducting an anti-Maoist operation there after receiving information about the presence of cadres.
“Multiple exchanges of fire between the security forces and Maoists occurred since the afternoon. So far, the bodies of six Maoists have been recovered from the encounter site along with AK-47 rifle, Self Loading Life (SLR) rifle, other weapons, explosive material and daily use items,” he conveyed.
Maoists continue to lay down weapons
Simultaneously, many Maoists have also down their arms to join the mainstream. Jorige Nagaraju also known as Kamalesh, the CPI (Maoist) East Bastar divisional committee in-charge and a member of the State zonal committee (SZCM) along with his wife, Medaka Jyoteeswari alias Aruna, surrendered before Director General of Police (DGP) Harish Kumar Gupta in Vijayawada on 26th July.
A native of Poranki village in the Krishna district, Nagaraju spent 34 years as a member of the outlawed Maoist group in various capacities and carried a bounty of ₹20 lakh. Aruna who is from the Krishna district’s Kappaladoddi hamlet, spent 30 years working as a party cadre and had a reward of ₹5 lakh on her head.
The pair became dissatisfied with the Maoist central committee’s policy. They realised that the Maoist ideology was losing ground. The authorities pointed out, “Due to lack of public support, poor recruitments, death of senior cadres in Maoist party, disillusionment with the party ideology, he had decided to surrender and avail the benefits of the Surrender and Rehabilitation Policy.”
“On specific information, the Alluri Sitarama Raju (ASR) district police unearthed three Maoist armed dumps in Mampa, Madugukota and Tangedukota forests from 23rd to 25th July and seized one AK-47, five SLRs, two INSAS rifles, five 303 rifles, two BGL weapons, one pistol, 16 BGL shells and 20 cartridges, 15 detonators, eight walkies, huge quantity of ammunition, a telescope and other material,” the added.
On 24th July 66 Maoist cadres with a total reward of ₹2.54 crore gave up arms in five districts of the Bastar division of Chhattisgarh. According to P Sundarraj, 25 surrendered in Bijapur, 15 in Dantewada, 13 in Kanker, 8 in Narayanpur and 5 in Sukma districts.
37-year-old Ramanna Irpa, alias Jagdish, alias Vikesh was a sub-zonal committee member with a reward of ₹25 lakh and four divisional committee members who were regarded as senior members in Maoist military were among those who laid down their weapons.
Surrenders coincided with a new security force program known as “Poona Margham” (new path). According to this plan, the security forces will put greater effort into contacting families of Maoists for help in convincing them to turn themselves in.
The police informed, “With the establishment of new security camps in interior regions and improved access to roads, transport, drinking water, electricity, and other public welfare schemes, development is now reaching the remotest villages. Widespread disillusionment with Maoist ideology, increasing internal conflicts within the outfit, and a strong desire to live a peaceful and secure family life are among the primary reasons behind these surrenders.”
According to Chief Minister Vishnu Deo Sai, 1,521 Naxals surrendered in the last 15 months, which he described as “a strong indicator of the increasing reach and trust of the government in the Naxal-affected regions,” on 12th July. The announcement transpired after the surrender of 22 Maoists active in the Abhujmad area with a total reward of ₹37.5 lakh in Narayanpur district followed by the surrender of 23 Maoists with a combined bounty of ₹1.18 crore in Sukma district of the Bastar region.
India’s unprecedented war of Maoist terrorists
Operation Kagar (Operation Black Forest) had been launched by the central government to eliminate red-terrorism in India and liberate Maoist-affected regions. As a result of the success of this operation, many regions that were once under the violent control of Naxalites and languished in underdevelopment for years are now witnessing a resurgence of hope and have been integrated with the rest of the country, participating in its progress.
Several dreaded Maoists renounced the path of bloodshed while many others have been neutralised. A strong military approach and zero tolerance policy implemented by the government led to a 77% reduction in Maoist violence between 2010 and 2021. Violent incidents have declined from 2258 in 2009 to 509 in 2021.
Maoist-affected districts has also significantly declined over the last ten years, from 106 in 2015 to 6 at now (Bijapur, Kanker, Narayanpur, and Sukma in Chhattisgarh, West Singhbhum in Jharkhand and Gadhchiroli in Maharashtra). Furthermore, the number of Maoist terror-related killings decreased by 90%.
There were 2089 Maoists slain in clashes compared to 63 earlier while 928 surrendered in 2024 as 718 did the same in the first four months of 2025. With the help of state police, the central military established 320 camps, including 68 helipads with night landing capabilities in Maoist-struck states between 2019 and 2025. Fortified police stations have increased from 66 in 2014 to 555.
The extensive work of the government, security forces and local administration along with authorities is reflected in the commendable success of the road to a Naxal-free India.
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