Anti-Maoist operations status report: What is the significance of Apr 16 encounter, and what happens now?

At least 29 Maoists were killed in a gunfight with security forces deep in the forests of Kanker district in southern Chhattisgarh on Tuesday (April 16), days before voting for Lok Sabha seats in the region.

The operation is among the biggest successes for security forces in a single operation against Maoists. What does it say about the current status and nature of the Maoist challenge in Chhattisgarh and the country as a whole?

In what ways is this encounter significant for the security forces?

The successful operation marks the entry of security forces inside Abujhmad, a vast swathe of forest land in the geographical heart of India. A security vacuum has persisted in Abujhmad for more than three decades now, allowing the Maoists to make this sprawling area into an almost impenetrable stronghold.

At an operational level, this encounter has ensured that the Maoists’ Partapur area committee, which has been accused of carrying out several deadly attacks on both security forces and civilians, including the killing of a BSF jawan in an improvised explosive device (IED) blast during the Chhattisgarh Assembly elections last year and the blowing up of vehicles deployed to build roads in the area, has been all but wiped out.

What is the significance of the area in which this operation took place?

The hills and forests of Abujhmad, literally the “unknown hills”, sprawl over an area of about 4,000 sq km in the Bastar region of southern Chhattisgarh, mainly covering the districts of Narayanpur, Bijapur, and Dantewada, immediately to the south of Kanker.

The difficult terrain, the absence of road infrastructure, and presence of the armed rebels has ensured that 90% of this area that is bigger in size than the state of Goa, remains unsurveyed by the government.

These jungles, including parts of the Indravati National Park in Bijapur district, are used both as a safe haven and a transit corridor by Maoists to travel between Maharashtra (to the west), Andhra Pradesh (to the south), Telangana (to the southwest), and Odisha (to the east) via Chhattisgarh’s Sukma district.

What is the nature and magnitude of the Maoist threat currently in Chhattisgarh?

Since the BJP came to power in the state last year, a few new police camps have been set up on the two main entry points to Abujhmad, from Kanker in the north and Narayanpur in the east. Police have also crossed the Kotri river, a tributary of the Indravati-Godavari, and established a base camp in Abujhmad. This made the present operation possible, an official said.

Also Read | Maoist challenge needs political understanding, not over reliance on security

Last Sunday, Union Home Minister Amit Shah said in an election rally in the state: “Only the tail of Naxalism is now left in India, which is in Chhattisgarh. I promise to end Naxalism in three years if Narendra Modi becomes Prime Minister for a third term.”

According to a PTI report quoting data from the Home Ministry, the number of Left Wing Extremism (LWE) affected districts was 38 as of March 2024. The highest number of LWE-affected districts are in Chhattisgarh (15), followed by Odisha (7), Jharkhand (5), Madhya Pradesh (3), Kerala, Telangana, and Maharashtra (2 each), and West Bengal and Andhra Pradesh (1 each).

What does Tuesday’s successful operation signal for the anti-Naxal strategy of the security forces going forward?

Two of the Bastar region’s biggest encounters against Maoists since 2006 have taken place this month. Before Tuesday’s encounter in Kanker, 13 alleged Maoists were killed in Bijapur district on April 1. A total 79 Maoists have been killed so far this year; in 2019, 65 Maoists were killed in the entire year.

The Indian Express had reported in January this year that the number of security forces in Bastar is being increased after the BJP returned to power in December. Home Minister Shah had chaired a review meeting with security forces and all other stakeholders in Chhattisgarh, and asked them to end Naxalism in three years.

And what does the success of the operation mean for the Maoists in this region?

The security forces have sought to send a clear message to the rebels: give up your weapons and surrender, or be prepared to be killed.

That said, the Maoists still control a large area, and retain the capability and ammunition to launch a big attack. Inspector General of Police, Bastar Range, Sundarraj P said IEDs are still a big threat and challenge for the security forces.

To avoid major casualties, the Maoists have adopted a strategy of working through small action teams, which hacked a Chhattisgarh Armed Force (CAF) commander in Bijapur in February, and murdered nine BJP leaders, an Army jawan, and civilians whom they accused of being informers.

The Maoists remain strong in the National Park, in some pockets on the Bijapur-Sukma border, and along Chhattisgarh’s border with Telangana.

Has the stepped-up action by the security forces led to concerns over potential violations of human rights in Chhattisgarh?

Families of the alleged Maoists and some human rights activists have accused the security forces of carrying out fake encounters. In February, wives of three men killed in an encounter marched to a police station in Kanker along with a group of villagers and claimed that the men were not Maoists, but innocent villagers.

After the killing of 13 alleged Maoists on April 1, lawyer and activist Bela Bhatia had alleged that the encounter was fake. Bhatia has levelled similar allegations about other incidents too.

Kawasi Lakma, a former Congress minister and six-time MLA from Konta in Sukma district, had told The Indian Express in an interview: “When we (Congress) were in power, except the Silger incident (May 2022), where three tribals were killed, no other incident occurred. There have been 10 incidents of police firing since the BJP took over four months ago. Today, even ordinary tribals who may be going to the market or a fair are seen as Naxals by the government. I will take up this issue in Delhi, and bring peace to Bastar. Tribals need land rights, food, and water.”

So, what happens here onward?

Chief Minister Vishnu Deo Sai had said in an interview to The Indian Express in March 2024: “We can have a dialogue if they (Maoists) give up arms and join the mainstream.” Deputy Chief Minister Vijay Sharma has said he is ready to have a dialogue with the Maoists even over a video call.

In response to Sharma’s statement, the banned Communist Party of India (Maoist) had issued a press note saying they would talk only if activities of security personnel are brought to a standstill for six months, and the Maoists’ other demands relating to mining and farmer rights, etc. are met.

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