Government forces have finally freed Buddha Pahad in Jharkhand after almost three decades from the domination of Naxals, the Central Reserve Police Force said on Wednesday.
According to CRPF director general Kuldiep Singh, this has been done after three operations conducted by security personnel.
“Buddha Pahad, Jharkhand, which was Naxal-dominated area, has been freed from Naxals and an Mi-17 (helicopter) has also successfully landed there recently. A camp has also been established. It has been done under three different operations,” he said.
The DG also said that Bihar is also virtually free from Naxals. “We can say now Bihar is Naxal-free, there is no place in Bihar where Naxals have domination, forces can reach anywhere, any area now,” he said in a press briefing.
The Naxal or Maoist movement dates back to 1967 when armed peasants revolted in Naxalbari and later the “red” cadres of the CPI (Maoist) led the agitation claiming legitimate socio-economic rights for tribal and locals. Security personnel have been fighting bloody battles with the guerrillas for decades in several remote parts of India.
“A historic milestone in the internal security of the country has been crossed. Under the leadership of PM @narendramodi ji, the security forces have achieved unprecedented success in the decisive battle against Left Wing Extremism across the country. Congratulations to @crpfindia, security agencies and state police forces for this,” union home minister Amit Shah tweeted. “For the first time, permanent camps of security forces have been established by successfully removing Maoists from the inaccessible areas of Buddha Pahad, Chakrabandha and Bhimabandh. Under the leadership of @narendramodi ji, the policy of zero tolerance of the Ministry of Home Affairs against terrorism and LWE will continue and this fight will intensify further.”
While giving details about the action taken by security forces against Naxals, the CRPF DG said that since April 2022, seven Naxal guerrillas have been killed in Chhattisgarh, four in Jharkhand and three in Madhya Pradesh under Operation Thunderstorm, while a total of 578 have surrendered/been arrested.
“The incidents of Left Wing Extremism (LWE) have come down significantly. There has been a 77% reduction. In 2009, it was at an all-time high of 2258, which has come down to 509 at present. The death rate has come down by 85%,” he said.
The home ministry had said that the steadfast implementation of the National Policy and Action Plan to Address Left Wing Extremism (LWE)- 2015 has resulted in a consistent decline in LWE violence. The incidents of LWE violence have reduced by 77% from an all-time high of 2,258 in 2009 to 509 in 2021, it said.
Similarly, the resultant deaths of civilians and security personnel have reduced by 85% from an all-time high of 1,005 in 2010 to 147 in 2021, the ministry added.
“The geographical spread of the violence has also reduced as only 46 districts reported LWE-related violence in 2021 as compared to 96 districts in 2010. Decline in geographical spread is also reflected in reduced number of districts covered under the Security Related Expenditure (SRE) Scheme. The number of SRE districts was also reduced from 126 to 90 in April 2018 and further to 70 in July 2021,” the MHA said in a reply in the Rajya Sabha.
Similarly, the number of districts contributing approximately 90% of the Left Wing Extremism violence, categorised as ‘Most LWE Affected Districts’, came down to 30 from 35 in 2018, and further to 25 in 2021.
The Centre also provides funds for capacity building of the LWE-affected states under various programmes like Security Related Expenditure (SRE) Scheme and Special Infrastructure Scheme (SIS) to fight the menace effectively. “Under SIS, projects worth Rs 991.04 crore have been approved during 2017-21 for upgradation and strengthening of Special Forces (SFs)/Special Intelligence Branches (SIBs) and for construction of 250 Fortified Police Stations in LWE affected areas. Under SRE Scheme, Rs 2299 crore has been released to states since 2014-15,” the home ministry said in Parliament.
On the development front, the government has taken several specific initiatives in LWE-affected states. Special thrust has been given to expansion of road network, improving telecommunication connectivity, skill development, and financial inclusion, the ministry said.
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