A big breakthrough is claimed by the CRPF in the fight against Maoists in Jharkhand
The CRPF director-general Kuldiep Singh said on Wednesday that security forces had cleared Budhapahad, a forested area near the junction of Latehar, Garhwa, and Balrampur in Chhattisgarh, of Left-Wing Extremism (LWE). He said Bihar and Jharkhand are no longer infected by Maoists.
It has been three decades since Maoists dominated Budhapahad. A permanent camp has been set up for the forces there with the assistance of an MI-17 helicopter, Singh said.
Under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, CRPF and state security forces have been successful, and Amit Shah said the Ministry of Home Affairs will continue to fight LWE and terrorism with zero tolerance.
Singh told the media on Wednesday that several operations conducted in Budhapahad over the last many years had failed, as Maoist operatives had planted improvised explosive devices (IEDs), among others, making it nearly impossible for security forces to advance.
Since April this year, we’ve been working in Jharkhand. Two days ago, an Mi-17 (helicopter) successfully landed at Budhapahad for the first time…” he said.
The CRPF has conducted three big operations in Jharkhand before establishing the camp, Singh said.”Since April, we have been running ‘Operation Octopus’.In tribal areas, there is still Operation Thunderstorm, which preceded Operation Double Bull. As part of our investigation, we also found a Maoist factory in Chhattisgarh that manufactures underbarrel grenades for use against us,” he said.
The Superintendent of Police for the area camped there for almost a week after reclaiming Budhapahad, Singh said.Also, the District Magistrate has been there twice.”
Until June 30, this year, seven Maoist operatives were killed and 436 arrested/surrendered in Chhattisgarh; four Maoists were killed and 120 arrested/surrendered in Jharkhand; and 36 Maoists arrested/surrendered in Bihar.So far this year, three LWE operatives have been killed by security forces in Madhya Pradesh.
CRPF conducted operations not only in Jharkhand but also in Chakrabandha and Bhimabandh in Bihar, Singh said.In May, we conducted operations in Bihar…Bihar and Jharkhand are now Naxal-free. Extortion gangs may still exist in Bihar, but no Naxal territory dominates the state.Throughout Bihar and Jharkhand, there are no places where forces cannot reach.”
The number of incidents of violence associated with LWE has also significantly declined, according to Singh.According to the MHA, it peaked in 2009 at 2,258 and came down to 509 in 2018.
MHA released a media release stating, “The fight against Naxals has reached its final stage, as evidenced by the fact that in 2022, compared to 2018, incidents of LWE-related violence have decreased by 39 percent, and security force sacrifices have decreased by 26 percent.The number of civilian casualties has decreased by 44 percent.”
Among the deaths caused by LWE violence, the MHA reported 1,005 deaths in 2010, which dropped to 147 deaths in 2021.
In addition, their sphere of influence has decreased significantly.Furthermore, Maoist influence has also declined significantly…from 96 districts in 2010 to only 39 districts in 2022,” it stated.
