Chhattisgarh, Telangana smash Red turfs, Maha goes slow on guerrillas

Nagpur: As the security forces from Chhattisgarh and Telangana venture into the last bastions of the Maoists in central India's mysterious Karregutta Hills to flush out the remaining armed guerrillas, their Maharashtra counterparts have decided to slip into an alert mode. They are guarding borders and intensifying aerial surveillance instead of joining the ongoing operation as the third state force.Speculation is now high regarding Maharashtra's expected move towards wrapping up the Maoist movement in central India's Dandakaranya region, including at the reds' headquarters of Abujmarh. From their side, around 30 more cadres are left in the Peoples' Liberation of Guerrilla Army (PLGA), according to the records of the Gadchiroli police.Sources from Gadchiroli stated that around 15-20 armed cadres of the formation ‘Company Number 10', along with a few more from the Bhamragarh Local Organisational Squad (LoS), are left for Maharashtra to tackle. These cadres are often spotted camping near tribal hamlets of Koporshi and Murumvashi on the fringes of Abujmarh. The Maoists turned these bordering areas of Abujmarh into minefields and spike holes.While most of the venues of encounters in the Karregutta range are on the Chhattisgarh-Telangana border, which are 25-30 km away from Maharashtra, the forces of the Gadchiroli police have now adopted the border sealing strategy. They anticipate the possible influx of escaping Maoists seeking shelter from the heavy firepower of the two state forces.With around 32 Maoists neutralised by the Gadchiroli police, including 15 top cadres, between October 2022 and February this year, the Maoists operating in and around Gadchiroli have been left radarless. Around 60 have been arrested, and another 45 surrendered in the last two years, further debilitating the guerrilla camps.In response to why Maharashtra is not pushing for the final onslaught to wrap up the Maoists on record, senior officials stated that they are conducting searches, but the furtive reds have so far managed to evade being spotted. "We have alerted the police stations along the state borders. Drone surveillance is underway. The Maoist cadres are avoiding venturing close to Gadchiroli borders where our forces are already searching for them," said an official.Get the latest lifestyle updates on Times of India, along with Mother's Day wishes, messages, and quotes !