In a first, the national tricolour was unfurled on Republic Day in nine tribal villages in Chhattisgarh’s Bastar area that have been under Maoist control, while similar scenes were witnessed in a village in Maharashtra rebel hotbed Gadchiroli.
Inspector General of Police (Bastar range), Sundarraj stated that it was the first Republic Day celebration in these villages in Bastar after Independence. Police stated the Tricolour had never been unfurled in Dumripalnar, Murkrajkonda, Saletong, Duled, Kawadgaon, Mudhvandi, Pariya, Muler, or Palnar villages in Bijapur, and Sukma districts before.
“The fight against Left-wing extremism has reached its final and decisive phase. We are hopeful of establishing a positive and vibrant identity in the region,” IG Sundarraj said.
Speaking about the roles of the CRPF and Chhattisgarh Armed Force (CAF) security camps, IG Sundarraj said that these camps are playing a pivotal role in enhancing the operational reach of the security forces as well as eliminating Naxal influence from a significant geographical area in the state. “These security camps…are also functioning as integrated development centres and are facilitating basic amenities like health, education, PDS, electricity, mobile connectivity etc..,” IG Sundarraj said.
The people of other remote villages in Bastar joined the administration, police, and central forces to celebrate the 75th Republic Day, according to officers, and the ripple effect will raise morale in many more Maoist-hit regions.
The national flag was unfurled in Chintagufa situated on the Sukma-Bijapur border. Reports say that Chintagufa was part of the safe haven for the People’s Liberation Guerrilla Army (PLGA) battalion led by Maoist Hidma. However, they have been pushed back by 7-10 kilometres.
Taking to X, the Central Reserved Police Force (CRPF) shared visuals of the Republic Day celebration along with the local villagers in Naxal-affected Sukma district and wrote, “Republic in every bit! In Dulled village of highly Naxal-affected Sukma, Chhattisgarh, soldiers of 2nd Battalion #CRPF, Cobra and District Force, along with enthusiastic villagers, unfurled the tricolor on the occasion of Republic Day. The happiness of the children on this occasion was palpable. This is indicative of the decreasing influence of Naxalism and the increasing confidence of the local people in the security forces.”
Flag-unfurling in Maharashtra’s Gadchiroli took place in Irapner, located within the Maoist liberated zone, five kilometres away from Abujhmarh, the guerrilla headquarters, where up until now, black flags have been raised and the national flag has been desecrated or burned.
Earlier this week, Union Home Minister Amit Shah presided over a review meeting on Left Wing Extremism (LWE) in Raipur, Chhattisgarh, wherein he stated that the Maoist issue would be eradicated within the next three years. He also asked officials to devise a strategy to eradicate Naxalism. Minister Shah emphasised that Naxalite supporters must be identified and financially choked. He added that all kinds of assistance will be provided to the security forces and agencies functioning in Chhattisgarh.
He said at the meeting that the security forces needed to execute the plan and completely eliminate Naxalism. Shah also underlined the importance of accelerating development in Naxal-affected regions.
As per the Union Home Ministry figures, incidents of Naxal violence have decreased by 52 per cent over the last decade, with a 70 per cent decrease in deaths from these incidents.
According to the estimations, the number of affected districts has decreased from 96 to 45, and the number of Left Wing Extremism-hit police stations has decreased from 495 to 176. The home minister earlier stated that 199 additional security force camps had been set up in Left Wing Extremism-affected districts since 2019.