India: Maoist Disintegration In Chhattisgarh – Analysis

By Deepak Kumar Nayak

On September 25, 2024, a 50-year-old villager, Soyam Pandu, was thrashed to death by armed cadres of the Communist Party of India-Maoist (CPI-Maoist) in Bhandarpadar village in the Bhejji area in Sukma District. The Maoists had barged into his house, dragged him out, and beat him in front of family members and villagers. Maoists suspected that Pandu worked against them as a ‘police informer’. The villagers were threatened not to inform the Police of the matter.

On September 24, 2024, two CPI-Maoist cadres were killed in an encounter with Security Forces (SFs) in the Karkanguda Forest area near the banks of the Chintawagu River under the Chintalnar Police Station limits of Sukma District. Reports indicate that Maoists fired Under Barrel Grenade Launcher (UBGL) shells during the confrontation, demonstrating their capabilities to manufacture and use country-made grenade launchers.

On September 14, 2024, a CPI-Maoist cadre, Madvi Kosa, an ‘area committee member’ of ‘platoon number 4’, carrying a cash reward of INR 500,000, was killed in an encounter with SFs in the jungles on a hill near Tumalpad village under Chintagufa Police Station limits in Sukma District. Kosa was involved in planting Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs), making spike holes, getting roads dug up, and attacking Police parties.

According to partial data compiled by theSouth Asia Terrorism Portal(SATP), at least 22 fatalities (eight civilians, three SF personnel, and 11 Maoists) have been recorded in Sukma District thus far in 2024 (data till September 29). During the corresponding period of 2023, 16 fatalities (seven civilians, three SF personnel, and six Maoists) were recorded in the district, reflecting a spike of 37.50 per cent in 2024. In the remaining period of 2023, one more fatality (an SF trooper) was recorded. There was a total of 11 fatalities (three civilians, two SF personnel, and six Maoists) in the district in 2022, the lowest in a year since the creation of the district on January 16, 2012. The second lowest of 17 fatalities was recorded in 2012 and 2023. The district recorded a maximum of 89 fatalities (15 civilians, 18 SF personnel, and 56 Maoists) in 2018.

The numbers show that Maoist violence against civilians, a crucial index of the security situation in an area, has increased. Civilian fatalities have followed a cyclical trend in the district, and a low of three fatalities was recorded on two occasions, in 2014 and 2022, while a high of 33 such fatalities was recorded in 2013. Conspicuously, Darbha Ghati, where 28 persons were killed and another 30 sustained injuries, some of them critically, in aswarming attackby the Maoists on May 25, 2013, falls under Sukma District in Chhattisgarh’s ailing ‘Bastar division’, which still remains a major challenge for the state.

Speaking on the civilian killings by the Maoists, Inspector General of Police (IGP), Bastar Range, Sundarraj P. asserted, on September 26, 2024,

Killing of innocent civilians and attack on soft targets are indication of weakness in the Maoist camp. In an attempt to boost up the shattered morale of the cadres, Maoist leadership are indulging in such cowardly acts. But they should realize targeting the native population would be a huge reason for their downfall.

Meanwhile, in the fight against the Maoist rebels, SFs have lost three of their personnel in the current year, so far (data till September 29), as compared to three in the corresponding period of 2023, and there was one more fatality in this category in the remaining period of the year, taking the total to four through 2023. SFs lost 42 personnel, the highest registered in this category in the district for any year, on two occasions, in 2014 as well as in 2017.

On the other hand, SFs have eliminated at least 11 Maoists in Sukma District since the beginning of 2024 (data till September 29). During the corresponding period in 2023, six Maoists had been killed in the district, and there were no more fatalities in this category in 2023.

Significantly, in 2024, the kill ratio is in favour of SFs at 1:3.66 (three SF personnel, 11 Maoists), and was at 1:1.5 (four SF personnel, six Maoists) in 2023, and 1:3 (two SF personnel, six Maoists) in 2022. Since 2012, with a total of 197 SF personnel and 234 Maoists killed in the district, the overall kill ratio remains in favour of SFs, though marginally, at 1:1.18

Since January 16, 2012, Sukma has documented a total of 553 fatalities (122 civilians, 197 SF personnel, and 234 Maoists) in Maoist-linked violence, accounting for 29.76 per cent of the 1,858 fatalities (463 civilians, 477 SF personnel, and 918 Maoists) recorded in the state.

Meanwhile, other parameters of violence also suggest that the security situation in the district has improved over the past several years. No major incident (resulting in three or more fatalities) has been recorded in the current year, as compared to one such incident in 2023. A total of 31 such incidents has been documented since 2012. The Maoists have been unable to carry out any incidents of arson in the current year so far (data till September 29), as compared to three such incidents in 2023. Moreover, the Maoists carried out two incidents of abduction, in which five persons were abducted; of them, one was killed while the others were released with warnings in 2024. At least four such incidents were reported in 2023, in which seven persons were abducted; of them four were killed while two were released after warning. The whereabout of one civilian remained unknown.

In the intervening time, in operations against the Maoists, at least 19 incidents of the recovery of arms have been recorded in the current year, as compared to 15 such incidents in 2023. A total of 152 incidents involving the recovery of arms has been recorded in the district since 2012.

Sukma, one of Chhattisgarh's 32 districts located in the state’s southernmost area, was formed on January 16, 2012, and comprises 385 villages, three tehsils (revenue units) – Konta, Chhindgarh, and Sukma. It has an area of 5635.79 square kilometres, of which around 3,500 square kilometres (more than 75 per cent of its total area) are under forest cover. Sukma shares borders with other Maoist-affected districts of the ill-famed ‘Bastar division’ within the state – Bastar, Bijapur, and Dantewada – to the north and west; moreover, the Malkangiri District of Odisha to the east; and the Khammam District of Telangana to the south, are both Maoist-affected, and offer the Maoists distinct tactical advantages, allowing them to establish disruptive dominance over this difficult landscape.

Constant vigilance against extremists and continuous search operations have resulted in the arrest of 706 Maoists in the district since January 16, 2012, at least 35 in the current year. Recently, on August 12, 2024, five CPI-Maoist cadres were arrested from a forest near Chikometta village under Jagargunda Police Station limits in Sukma District, and various explosive materials were recovered from them. Among those arrested, Uika Chaitu (30), a resident of Jagargunda area, was an active ‘area committee member’ in Gadchiroli in neighbouring Maharashtra, and carried a reward of INR 500,000 on his head.

Besides, increasing SF pressure also led to the surrender of 1,419 Maoists in the District. At least 59 surrenders have been reported in the current year, so far. Recently, on September 19, 2024, three CPI-Maoist cadres surrendered in Sukma District. The trio cited their disillusionment with Maoist atrocities and the state's policy and welfare schemes as reasons for their surrender.

On August 9, 2021, Sukma District Police launched its flagship campaign,'Poona Narkom’(a local Gondi dialect expression, meaning ‘New Dawn’), under which medical camps were organised in different places of the district, including the district headquarters, for the tribal villagers of rural areas, in collaboration with the district health department, to attract more surrenders. Useful materials of daily use were also distributed to the villagers. Under the campaign, work was to be done to create awareness of the policies of the government, along with education, health, and employment. Though the specific number of surrenders under the campaign have not been disclosed, according to the SATP database, at least 425 surrenders have taken place in the district since then.

Meanwhile, a field hospital was opened by SFs under the'Niyad Nellanar' scheme, in the Puvarti village of Sukma, the native place and stronghold of top elusive Maoist leader Hidma, in an effort to reduce the gap between locals and SFs. Briefing on the development, IGP Sundarraj observed,

We are working as per the action plan under which security forces are trying to ensure basic facilities at newly established camps (be it of paramilitary or police) in the region. According to the 'Niyad Nellanar' scheme of the state government, basic facilities like medical, ration outlets, schools and power supply are being provided to villages in insurgency-hit districts. Keeping the same in mind, a CRPF camp has recently been established at Puvarti, and the paramilitary force has developed a field hospital at their level.

Concerns, nevertheless, persists. According to a June 23, 2024, report, SFs recovered a huge cache of Fake Indian Currency Notes (FICNs) printed by Maoists and the printing equipment used, from a forested hill near Korajguda village in Sukma District. While the rebels managed to flee, the SFs found currency printing machines, ink, templates and FICNs of several denominations - ₹50, ₹100, ₹200 and ₹500, at their hideout. Several other items, including a gun, a wireless set and a large quantity of explosives, were also seized. Sukma Superintendent of Police (SP), Kiran Chavan, disclosed that this was the first time FICNs had been recovered from the Maoists in the state. SP Chavan disclosed, further,

Prima facie it was found that Maoists were engaged in printing fake notes. Our investigation suggested that in 2022, Maoists in west Bastar division area gave training of printing fake notes to some of their cadres. Under pressure and due to shortage of funds, Maoists have been trying to use fake notes for procurement of various items in the weekly markets of the region's interior pockets and duping local tribal vendors.

On the positive side, however, Chavan asserted that the seizures suggest that continuous anti-Maoist operations have choked the ultras' funding chain.

On September 14, 2024, CPI-Maoist cadres opened fire at the newly established Puvarti security camp located on the Bijapur-Sukma border, under Jagargunda Police Station limits in Sukma District. They fired 15-20 rounds of UBGLs. SFs retaliated, forcing the Maoists to retreat into the forest. No casualty was reported on either side.

Meanwhile, according to an August 14, 2024, report, to counter Maoist violence in the region, Chhattisgarh Police will be deploying at least four new battalions of the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF), about 2,800 personnel, in a couple of months in the Bastar Division, especially along the intersections of Sukma and Bijapur districts. An unnamed senior Police officer disclosed,

Four battalions of the Central Reserve Police Force have been sanctioned by the Union government, and we are planning to deploy them in Sukma and Bijapur districts. The aim is to counter the violence of Battalion number 1 of Maoists, which is responsible for all major attacks in the last 15 years.

According to the Chhattisgarh police, there are currently around 60,000 SF personnel deployed in the Bastar region, including 40,000 Central Armed Police Forces (CAPFs) and 20,000 state police personnel.

Aggressive SF consolidation across the state, as well as in Sukma, has put the Maoists in shock. However, the rebels continue with their efforts to repossess their erstwhile areas of dominance, though with little present success. Continued SF operations in Sukma's difficult topography will remain necessary to contain the residual challenge in the district, and in the state at large.

• Deepak Kumar Nayak
  Research Associate, Institute for Conflict Management