India : Crumbling Maoist Edifice In Chhattisgarh – Analysis

By Deepak Kumar Nayak

On August 10, 2024, a Communist Party of India-Maoist (CPI-Maoist) cadre was killed by Security Forces (SFs) in the forests near the Ikeli, Nelgoda, and Tumnar villages under Geedam Police Station limits in Dantewada District in the Bastar Division of Chhattisgarh. Following the gunfight, the body of a male Maoist cadre and a weapon were recovered from the site.Prima facie, the slain Maoist was a member of the CPI-Maoist ‘platoon number 16’.

On June 27, 2024, two tribals, including a woman, were injured in an Improvised Explosive Device (IED) explosion triggered by the Maoists near the forested village of Tadelbaya under Barsoor Police Station limits in Dantewada District.

On May 23, 2024, a CPI-Maoist cadre was killed in an encounter with SFs in a forest along the Narayanpur-Bijapur border area, under the jurisdiction of the Barsoor Police Station in Dantewada District. The Maoists planted a 15-kilogramme IED with the aim of causing harm to the SFs, which was safely destroyed on the spot by the SFs. A huge cache of arms, ammunition, and explosives was also recovered. The identity of the slain Maoist was yet to be ascertained.

On May 22, 2024, at least seven Maoists were killed in an encounter with the SFs that took place in the jurisdiction of Barsoor Police Station limits in Dantewada District. The operation began at around 11am [IST] when Maoists suddenly opened fire on the Forces, and intermittent firing continued into the evening. As the Forces moved forward, they found the bodies of seven Maoists “dressed in the uniforms of the People's Liberation Guerrilla Army (PLGA) and also their weapons”. The identities of the Maoists were yet to be ascertained.

According to partial data collated by theSouth Asia Terrorism Portal(SATP), at least 16 fatalities (one civilian, one SF trooper, and 14 Maoists) have been registered in Dantewada District in eight incidents of killing in the current year, thus far (data till August 25, 2024). During the corresponding period of 2023, at least 12 fatalities (two civilians and 10 SF personnel) were recorded in two incidents of killing. Thus, a spike of 33.33 per cent in comparative fatalities was witnessed. Another six fatalities (all Maoists) were recorded in three incidents of killing in the District in the remaining period of 2023.

Since March 6, 2000, when SATP started compiling data on Left Wing Extremism (LWE)-linked violence, Dantewada has chronicled 1,218 fatalities (353 civilians, 422 SF personnel, 437 Maoists, and six ‘unspecified’) in such violence, accounting for 31.92 per cent of the 3,815 fatalities (1,016 civilians, 1,229 SF personnel, 1,546 Maoists, and 24 killings remained ‘unspecified’) in the state.

The rise in Maoist killings in the current year is not surprising, as the recent trend demonstrate the intensification of SF operations to contain the rebels in their strongholds. Significantly, in 2024, the SFs lost just one trooper in the fight against the rebels and eliminated 14 Maoist cadres, a kill ratio of 1:14. The kill ratio was in favour of the Maoists in 2023, at 1.66:1 (10 SF personnel, six Maoists). In 2022, the SFs lost no trooper, but had eliminated eight Maoists. Since 2000, with a total of 422 SF personnel and 437 Maoists killed in the district, the overall kill ratio remains in favour of the SFs, though marginally, at 1:1.03. Paradoxically, Dantewada is the infamous location of theChintalnad incident, in which 75 Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) troopers and one Policeman of the Chhattisgarh Police were killed.

Meanwhile, civilian fatalities, a crucial index of the security situation in an area, have dropped to one in the current year, thus far (data till August 25, 2024). During the corresponding period in 2023, at least two civilians were killed in the district; however, no further civilian fatality was recorded in the remaining period of 2023, keeping the total to two in this category in the year. There was a peak of 155 fatalities in this category in 2006. Civilian fatalities have seen a cyclical trend in the district, and a low of a single fatality was recorded in 2012, 2016, and 2024.

Excluding a couple parameters of violence, the security situation in the district suggests that the situation has improved over the past several years. One major incident (resulting in three or more fatalities) has been recorded in the current year, as compared to two such incidents in 2023. A total of 105 such incidents has been documented since 2000. Five incidents of the recovery of arms have been recorded in the current year, as compared to seven such incidents in 2023. A total of 147 incidents involving the recovery of arms has been recorded since 2000.

The Maoists have triggered explosions on three occasions in the current year, as compared to two such incidents in 2023. A total of 115 such explosions has been recorded since 2000. Maoists have already exchanged fire with SFs on six occasions in 2024, as compared to four in 2023. 169 such incidents have been recorded since 2000.

Meanwhile, combing operations and raids have resulted in the arrest of 647 Maoists in the District since March 6, 2000, including 15 arrests recorded in the current year (data till August 25, 2024). On May 28, 2024, following an IED blast, some suspects were seen trying to escape from the spot, but security personnel chased and arrested 15 Maoist cadres, seven of them women, near the Gumalnar village under Geedam Police Station limits in Dantewada District. Most of the arrested cadres were active in front organisations of the CPI-Maoist. They revealed that they were hiding in a forest to target security personnel. One IED, an electric wire, a detonator, a steel tiffin box, Maoist pamphlets and literature, Maoist uniforms, and items of daily use were recovered from their possession. The identities of the arrested Maoists are yet to be confirmed.

Marking a significant step towards peace and stability in the region, a total of 744 Maoists surrendered in Dantewada to reintegrate into the mainstream society since 2000, according to SATP. Recently, on August 13, 2024, a CPI-Maoist couple, identified as BheemaaksPavan Madvi (28) and his wife Vimla Madkam (25), carrying a collective reward of INR 700,000 on their heads, surrendered in Dantewada District. Pavan, an active member of the Malanger area committee of Maoists for the past decade, carried an INR 500,000 bounty for his alleged involvement in attacks on Police teams and triggering IED blasts. Vimla, Pavan's wife, was a member of Maoist platoon No. 31, and had an INR 200,000 reward on her head.

However, according to a media report dated August 14, 2024, Dantewada Police has claimed that at least 861 Maoists, including 193 cadres with rewards, have surrendered under theLon Varratu(Return to your home/village) campaign in Dantewada since June 2020.

Taking proactive action against the Maoists, on August 8, 2024, the National Investigation Agency (NIA) filed chargesheets in a special court in Jagdalpur in Bastar District against five individuals, VikeshakaVicky Goyal, Balram Tamo, Sumit DixitakaChhotu, Rajesham Pogula, and Mallesh, for their alleged involvement in providing logistics and support to the CPI-Maoist. The five accused, residents of various parts of Chhattisgarh, face charges under relevant sections of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) and the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act (UAPA). Originally, the Geedam Police in Dantewada District registered the case in June 2023, following the seizure of INR 106,335 in cash and several incriminating items from CPI-Maoist members. The NIA took over the case (RC-03/2023/NIA-RPR), discovering that the accused were deeply involved in the outfit's logistics and in handling demonetised currency to further the organisation's anti-national agenda. Investigations revealed that Mallesh held the pivotal role of 'military commander in chief’ of platoon No. 16 and was a Divisional Committee Member (DVCM) of CPI-Maoist.

Meanwhile, threats persist. On January 30, 2024, SFs discovered a 130-metre-long and 10-foot-deep tunnel used as an underground hideout by the Maoists in Dantewada District. Dantewada Superintendent of Police (SP) Gaurav Rai, disclosing details, stated,

The hideout was camouflaged, and no one noticed it until one of our District Reserve Guards jawans discovered it. This is probably the biggest underground hideout we've discovered in the region so far. We believe it served as a Maoist hideout during the movement of force. However, it can be used for other purposes, such as ambush trapping the police force.

Dantewada falls within the perilous'Bastar Division' of Chhattisgarh, which still remains a major challenge for the state. The district shares borders with Bijapur, Sukma, Bastar, and Narayanpur districts in the state, all of which are afflicted by the Maoist menace.

Aggressive SF consolidation in the state, as well in Dantewada, has taken the Maoists by surprise. However, the extremists continue with their efforts to re-claim control in their former areas of ascendancy, though with little present success. Sustained SF operations in difficult terrain are necessary to extinguish the remaining challenge in the district.

• Deepak Kumar Nayak
  Research Associate, Institute for Conflict Management