In final phase, desperate Maoists pose rising danger despite imminent defeat

New Delhi, Aug 28 The security forces are well on track to eradicate the menace of Left Wing Extremism (LWE) in India by March 31, 2026. On Thursday, Chhattisgarh, Deputy Chief Minister Vijay Sharma announced that in the Bijapur district 30 Maoists had surrendered and were rehabilitated. He also urged the Maoists to join the mainstream and improve their lives.

Union Home Minister Amit Shah said that the Maoists should either surrender or else they would be eliminated. Leaving the choice to them, HM Shah said that the menace could come to an end by March 31 2026.

While Operation Blackforest has been a successful one so far, security officials, however, state that once the task is complete, it would not be wise to take ones eyes of the issue. There would be attempts made to revive the movement.

While many Maoists have surrendered, there are some who are still around and remain adamant. They want to take the fight to the finish with the hope that many would take inspiration and join the movement. This last phase is a dangerous one, security officials say.

They are getting desperate and would try and indulge in mindless violence which would eventually be to target innocent civilians. The murder of a 30 year old man working as a ‘shikshadoot’ (temporary visiting teacher in government schools) being killed by Maoists in Chhattisgarh is one such example of this.

On July 14, two ‘shikshadoots’ were killed by Maoists in Farsegarh area of neighbouring Bijapur district in Chhattisgarh. On February 19, two men, including a ‘shikshadoot’ were killed in Dantewada district. This made it the 30 killing this year by Maoists. These incidents took place in the Bastar region comprising seven districts including Sukma, Bijapur and Dantewada.

All these persons were killed on the suspicion that they were police informers. However the fact is that these killings signal the desperation of the Maoists and the main intention is to cause fear in the minds of the people.

In the past, the Maoists thrived on local support. When the locals realised that they were being used as pawns, the Maoists then resorted to fear tactics to control the local people.

However, today with Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led government initiating several developmental projects in Maoist-hit areas, the minds of the locals have changed. There is connectivity thanks to roads. Further communication too has improved a great deal thanks to investments by the telecom sector. This has led the locals to changing sides and seeing reason on why it is better to be away from the Maoists.

The locals turning away has been a major factor for the forces to achieve such success against the Maoists. When a patrol party approaches an LWE-hit area, there is none to inform the Maoists about the same. This has led to successful and precise operations against the Maoists.

However the Intelligence agencies warn that the desperation which is being felt among the Maoists is what could prove to be dangerous. They would try and target locals more and more with an intention of controlling them with fear as was the case in the past. The agencies say that while they may not be too successful, such desperation could lead to loss of innocent lives.

The security forces have stepped up operations in the wake of such incidents and would continue to go all out and could even achieve the target before the deadline. While the security forces work on nabbing or eliminating the Maoists, a massive effort is also being made to bring them to the mainstream.

Those who are being brought to the mainstream and rehabilitated would also need to be watched, the agencies say. Some could well be informers who have been intentionally sent by the Maoists to surrender.

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