As forces advance, Maoists take insurgency under the ground

Raipur: The Maoists may have retreated further into the margins as the forces make deeper inroads into their heartland, but they have left their death traps behind under the surface. While no longer a Maoist stronghold, the Bijapur district in Chhattisgarh's Bastar continues to be the country's IED epicentre. Despite the noticeable shrinkage in armed Maoist formations and mounting surrender figures, this south Bastar district accounts for the overwhelming bulk of improvised explosive devices being planted and recovered anywhere in the country. The gunfire has reduced, but the ground itself remains weaponised.On Thursday, CRPF recovered an IED weighing about 30 kilograms, placed under a metal road on Awapalli-Basaguda route, only three kms from the police station and powerful enough to blow up a Mine Protected Vehicle or a huge bus. Police said it was a command IED buried about two feet deep and connected to a 100 meter long wire, to be triggered manually. Though the CRPF bomb disposal team defused the IED during the demining exercise, the concern around the buried explosives remains as high as it used to during the peak insurgency phase back in the day.The CRPF's official data for 2025 reveals a stark pattern: of the 716 IEDs detected during the demining procedures nationwide this year, 679 were recovered in Chhattisgarh and 652 of those in Bijapur alone. In the last quarter (October–December), 101 IEDs were seized across India; 92 found in Chhattisgarh, including 80 in Bijapur. The state as a whole accounted for 679 recoveries — nearly 95% of the national total — underscoring how the Maoist conflict has morphed from gun battles to a buried war dominated by landmines.Security officials said no other district in the country comes close to such concentration of IEDs. "This is the biggest challenge now. These are weapons you don't see," a senior CRPF officer posted in Bastar said, adding, "Earlier they relied on armed confrontation. While that space has shrunk, IEDs have now taken over as the primary weapon to deter the advancing forces."Nearly 90% of devices recovered are classified as victim-operated IEDs (VOIs) — triggered by pressure, pull, lift or tilt mechanisms. The person who activates it, albeit accidentally, becomes the victim. Unlike command-detonated explosives, VOIs lie silently under forest tracks, culverts and newly constructed roads — particularly those linked to road-opening parties and camp supply routes.Deputy Chief minister Vijay Sharma, who also heads the Home ministry, said that recent recoveries and incidents point to a fresh wave of planting the explosives underground.Speaking to TOI, Bastar range inspector general of police, P Sundarraj, admitted to the abiding threat from IEDs stating that Maoists depend heavily on these explosive devices to mark their presence and damage and there was a need to thoroughly demine the regions, adding that despite the clear and present danger, the forces continue to recover and defuse IEDs.Talking about immediate solutions and advanced tech, Sundarraj said, "While we use deep metal detectors to recover IEDs, top officials are exploring the possibility of advanced technology called GPR-ground penetration radar, which senses the disturbance in the soil and adds value to demining activity. The technology is used in select countries or on the borders. It needs to be tailor-made for Bastar's terrain and circumstances, since the Bastar region has a unique topography and dense jungle." Pointing out that police and central armed forces have collectively recovered more IEDs Sundarraj said, "IED recoveries have increased significantly in 2024 (308) and witnessed a major surge in 2025 (894), indicating strengthened ground intelligence, improved surveillance, and intensified area domination and search operations." He added that the sharp rise in recoveries suggests that a substantial number of potential IED attacks were neutralised before they could do the damage. A tactical shiftSecurity experts described the surge in IED use as a major strategic shift by Maoist cadres pushed on the backfoot."Though the present situation shows that large armed groups can no longer move freely, expanded road networks, establishment of new security camps, drone surveillance and intensified operations have reduced what officials once called ‘security vacuums'. Armed confrontations in big formations have become risky for them, hence, the IEDs," the officer said."For this, they don't need a group to engage, just one buried device can stall a company," the officer said, adding that the cadres have stopped moving in black uniforms and no longer carry weapons, often posing as villagers, labourers and farmers. Crude materials, devastating injuriesMost devices are locally assembled using gelatin sticks, urea, nails, kerosene oil and cordex wire, materials easily sourced from mining zones.The impact is brutal. Security officials say IED blasts account for the maximum injuries among personnel leading to loss of limbs, severe shrapnel wounds, blindness. Even sniffer dogs deployed for detection have suffered injuries."When an IED goes off, wreaking heavy damage, half the unit shifts to casualty management. Evacuation becomes the priority. That itself slows down anti-Naxal operations," the CRPF official said.During his recent Chhattisgarh visit, Union home minister Amit Shah in his recent visit to Chhattisgarh reiterated that March 31, 2026 remains the targeted deadline to eliminate residual armed Maoist presence from the state. While surrender and arrest figures have increased and major formations lie fragmented, the IED grid remains active."Maoism may be on the brink in terms of open armed struggle, the buried war is still on," the officer said.