Five Naxal functionaries, carrying a total bounty of Rs 38 lakh, surrendered in Gadchiroli district, Maharashtra. Additionally, eight Maoists from Maharashtra, Telangana, and Chhattisgarh were arrested during joint operations with the CRPF.
Gadchiroli police recovered and destroyed items used in the manufacture of weapons, secretly buried by Maoists in a forest area.
Police and security forces in Gadchiroli, Maharashtra, demolished 44 memorials built by Maoists to instill fear, marking a significant step in combating Naxalite influence in the region.
'The watershed moment was June 22, 2024, when the divisional in-charge of Gadchiroli, Giridhar Tumreti, who was their senior-most commander, along with his wife, came forward to surrender before the then deputy chief minister and home minister Devendra Fadnavis.'
ollowing intelligence inputs about the movement of surviving cadres of Company No. 10 and unknown Naxalite formation from Chhattisgarh, an operation was launched on the night of February 3, Gadchiroli Police said in a release.
Arms and explosives, along with manufacturing equipment, were recovered from a forested area along the Maharashtra-Chhattisgarh border during an anti-Naxal operation.
Once the might of the Indian establishment turned completely against the Maoists, there was no way they could survive -- either in Gadchiroli or anywhere else, points out M R Narayan Swamy.
Eleven Naxalites, including five senior operatives with a combined bounty of Rs 68 lakh, have surrendered to police and CRPF forces in Gadchiroli district, Maharashtra, marking a significant blow to Left Wing Extremism in the region.
Police in Chhattisgarh's Mohla-Manpur-Ambagarh Chowki district seized 800 boxes of illicit liquor worth Rs 50.28 lakh from a truck attempting to smuggle the consignment into Maharashtra. The driver was arrested, and an investigation is underway to uncover the full smuggling network.
A Naxalite was killed and a C-60 commando injured in an ongoing encounter in Gadchiroli district, Maharashtra. The operation, involving multiple C-60 units and CRPF, began after intelligence about the presence of Maoists in the area.
'For the remaining Maoist cadres, they shall soon confront one of two outcomes: Either surrender or face neutralisation.'
'The biggest game changer has been the belief among Maoists that they can surrender and join the mainstream'
A remote village in Maharashtra's Gadchiroli district, once a Naxal hotbed, now has access to state-run bus service for the first time since independence.
Senior Naxalite Mallojula Venugopal Rao, also known as Bhupathi, surrendered to police in Maharashtra's Gadchiroli district along with 60 other cadres. Bhupathi, a key strategist in the banned organization, carried a significant bounty.
Two undergraduate students in Pune have been booked for allegedly promoting enmity after performing a dance to a song that allegedly glorified a slain Naxal commander during a cultural event at a government-run hostel.
Milind Ramji Narote, a BJP MLA from Maharashtra's Gadchiroli, had filed a complaint against Tejashwi Yadav on Friday.
As the March 31 deadline arrives, a wave of Maoist surrenders suggests insurgency's end, but political and social concerns remain.
Senior Maoist leader Mallojula Venugopal Rao alias Bhupathi surrendered to police in eastern Maharashtra's Gadchiroli district after negotiations. He was a founding member of the People's War Group (PWG) and carried a bounty of Rs 6 crore on his head.
Top Maoist commander Thippiri Tirupati alias Devji has surrendered to police, marking a significant blow to the outlawed organisation. His surrender comes ahead of the Union government's deadline to eliminate Naxalism.
Four Maoists were killed in an encounter with police and CRPF commandos along the Maharashtra-Chhattisgarh border in Gadchiroli district. The encounter took place on Friday following a joint operation launched based on intelligence inputs about the presence of Maoist formations near a recently opened FOB (Forward Operating Base) in Kawande area. The exchange of fire lasted for nearly two hours, and security forces recovered bodies of the four Maoists, along with weapons, ammunition, and Naxal literature.
A senior Maoist commander, Papa Rao, surrendered with his team in Chhattisgarh, signalling a significant blow to Left-Wing Extremism in the region. This event underscores the impact of sustained security pressure and rehabilitation efforts on the Maoist movement.
Top Maoist commander Thippiri Tirupati, known as Devuji, surrendered to Telangana police after over four decades of underground life, citing health issues and a desire to continue his political career within the legal framework.
139 Naxalite cadres surrendered in Maharashtra and Chhattisgarh, marking a significant turning point in the fight against Left Wing Extremism. The surrenders included a top Maoist strategist and were hailed as a sign of the movement's decline.
Fifteen Naxalites, including a veteran ultra with a significant bounty, surrendered in Chhattisgarh, effectively dismantling the Maoist movement in the Raipur-Sambalpur region.
As many as 22 teams of C-60 commandos and two squads of the Central Reserve Police Force under the supervision of senior officials launched an anti-Naxal operation from two different points in the forest area, said the release.
The Ministry of Home Affairs reports a significant reduction in the number of districts most affected by Naxalism, highlighting the government's efforts to combat Left Wing Extremism.
Vimala Chandra Sidam alias Tarakka, a top Naxal leader with a Rs 25 lakh reward on her head, surrendered before Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis in Gadchiroli along with ten other senior Maoists. Tarakka, who joined the Naxal movement in 1986, rose through the ranks over 38 years to become a Dandkaranya Special Zonal Committee member. She is the wife of Central Committee Member Sonu alias Bhupati. The surrendered Naxals, eight women and three men, were collectively carrying a bounty of Rs 1.03 crore. Fadnavis also felicitated C 60 personnel for the July 17, 2024 encounter wherein 12 hardcore Maoists were killed in a forested area bordering Chhattisgarh.
The skirmish took place around 5.30 am in the forest at Kotmi in Etapalli, where the Naxals had gathered for a meeting, said Sandeep Patil, Deputy Inspector General of Gadchiroli.
Due to the success of the operation, the entire Korchi-Tipagad and Chatgaon-Kasansur Dalams of Maoists have been wiped out, they claimed.
Chhattisgarh Deputy Chief Minister Vijay Sharma met surrendered Naxalites at a rehabilitation center in Sukma, offering them a visit to the state assembly and directing officials to improve their living conditions and opportunities.
One of the slain Maoists was identified as DVCM Laxman Atram alias Vishal Atram, incharge of Tipagad Dalam.
A team of C-60 commandos, a specialised combat unit of the Gadchiroli police, carried out the operation.
'From every point of view, they have faced an extremely difficult couple of years, and the setback they have suffered is irreversible.' 'This reality has begun to set in even amongst the top-level cadres. That is why, in recent times, we have witnessed a huge number of senior-level cadres emerging from the jungle and deciding to renounce violence and join the mainstream.'
After recent high-intensity operations in the Bastar region and the neutralisation of several senior Maoist leaders, officials say the insurgency has lost its ability to mount large-scale coordinated attacks.
Two senior leaders of the banned CPI (Maoist), including a Central Committee Member underground for over four decades, surrendered to Telangana police, citing health issues, pressure from security forces, and ideological differences.
Maharashtra CM Devendra Fadnavis assures impartial action in the Pune land deal case involving a company linked to Deputy CM Ajit Pawar's son, Parth Pawar.
Three police personnel of Gadchiroli police were awarded with the President's Police Medal for Gallantry for their outstanding performance in service.
Maharashtra recorded a voter turnout of 58.22 per cent till 5 pm on Wednesday in the elections to the 288-member state legislative assembly, with Gadchiroli district logging more than 69 per cent voting, poll officials said.
Maharashtra Director General of Police Subodh Kumar Jaiswal said that the attack was not a result of intelligence failure.
Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Vishnu Deo Sai announced that North Bastar and Abujhmad regions are now free of Naxal violence, with the fight against Naxalism in South Bastar reaching a decisive phase. He attributes this success to trust-building measures and the surrender of Naxal cadres.