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OpINION                                                            DECEMBER 03, 2021  |      The Indian Eye 13


































         Maoists blow up railway tracks in between Richughuta Station-Demu Station at Tori-latehar   Three aides of CPI-Maoist and other criminal groups arrested by a team of
        Rail line over the arrest of Maoist leaders Prashant Bose and Sheela Marandi, in latehar (ANI)   Anti-Terrorist Squad (ATS) in Ranchi (ANI)

        ests and Bhoramdoe Tiger Reserve,                                                                     The CPI (Maoist) has been increas-
        which  are  interconnected  through                                                                   ingly making efforts in the areas to
        impregnable patch of forests located                                                                  encash  on  the  disenchantment  and
        on  the  borders  of  Madhya  Pradesh                                                                 grievances of the local tribals against
        (Balaghat  and  Mandla)  and  Chhat-                                                                  the administration.
        tisgarh  (Kabirdham).  Since  the  ar-                                                                    To tackle it, there is a need to un-
        eas do not have many roads and are                                                                    dertake a judicious mix of security and
        scantly policed, Maoists are believed                                                                 developmental  interventions  in  the
        to be cultivating their organizational                                                                region, wherein, development should
        roots  in  the  region,  recruiting  new                                                              proceed  the  security  initiatives.
        cadres and generating human intel-                                                                    While the security measures such as
        ligence.                                                                                              deployment of Central Armed Police
            According to the Gadchiroli Po-
        lice, two platoons of ‘Vistar Dalam’                                                                  Forces (CAPFs) should be employed
                                                                                                              to tackle the Maoist rebels, the gov-
        of the CPI (Maoist) are active in the                                                                 ernment should emphasize more on
        Kanha–Bhoramdeo  region.  Similar-                                                                    development  initiatives.  As  large
        ly, the forests of Amarkantak, being                                                                  parts of the region are inhabited by
        highly  inaccessible  for  the  security                                                              the  particularly  vulnerable  tribal
        forces,  have  a  strategic  significance                                                             groups  (PVTGs)  like  Baiga,  Abujh
        for Maoists and could prove to be a                                                                   Marias, etc., ensuring rights and en-
        safe haven for the senior leaders who                                                                 titlements of local tribal population
        are under pressure from security forc-        Security personnel patrol the area under heightened Security    over the lands and forests tradition-
        es in Jharkhand and Bastar. Besides,   as the banned CPI (Maoist) given a call to observe the week as Martyrs' Week in memory of   ally used by them and ensuring them
        the forest is also close to the Mao-               the killed extremists, in Visakhapatnam (ANI)      a dignified life in harmony with the
        ist-affected  districts  of  Jharkhand,                                                               local culture and customs may prove
        Odisha,  Maharashtra  and  Madhya                                                                     to be effective tools for keeping the
        Pradesh and could provide the Mao-  The neutralization of 26 hardcore maoists, including the Central   Maoist extremists at bay.
        ists easy passage to these states. The
        Maoists are consistently trying to de-  Committee member and mmC secretary milind Teltumbde, in the
        velop a new ‘base area’ in the dense   latest operation by C-60 commandos in Gadchiroli serves a huge   Rajbala Rana is Research Analyst at
        Amarkantak forests to intensify their                                                                 the Manohar Parrikar Institute for De-
        activities/operations in the areas fall-  setback for the CPi (maoist)’s expansion designs in the mmC region.   fense Studies and Analyses, New Delhi
        ing under the MMC zone.
            Notably,  the  Maoist  stronghold                                                                  Views expressed are of the author and
        in  Gadchiroli  has  proved  to  be  the   dar. Nevertheless, the recent tactical   tri-junction  region  (MMC)  so  as  to   do not necessarily reflect the views of
        fulcrum  for  not  only  expanding  the   success  against  the  Maoists  should   consolidate its position vis-à-vis secu-  the Manohar Parrikar IDSA or of the
        Maoist activities in the MMC region   not override the security forces’ pre-  rity forces. Currently in the ‘strategic   Government of India.
        but  also  helps  in  sustaining  Maoist   paredness  as  the  retaliatory  attacks   defense phase’ in the region, the Par-
        war machinery in south Bastar. The   are imminent.                  ty  is  largely  focusing  on  socializing   This is the abridged version of the
        region enables supply of war logistics   Presently on the backfoot in their   and  identifying  with  the  local  tribal   article which appeared first in the
        to other areas of Maoist operations   strongholds  of  Bastar  and  Andhra–  population  to  get  their  support  for   Comment section of the website (www.
        and also offers safe hideouts as well   Odisha Border, the outlawed outfit is   the  ‘protracted  people’s  war’,  re-  idsa.in) of Manohar Parrikar Institute
        as safe passage for the armed and se-  striving hard to develop and activate   cruiting armed cadres and preserving   for Defense Studies and Analyses, New
        nior leaders to escape the security ra-  some ‘base areas’ in and around the   their areas of operation in the region.   Delhi on November 23, 2021


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