29 August 2024

India : Crumbling Maoist Edifice In Chhattisgarh – Analysis

Deepak Kumar Nayak

On August 10, 2024, a Communist Party of India-Maoist (CPI-Maoist) cadre was killed by Security Forces (SFs) in the forests near the Ikeli, Nelgoda, and Tumnar villages under Geedam Police Station limits in Dantewada District in the Bastar Division of Chhattisgarh. Following the gunfight, the body of a male Maoist cadre and a weapon were recovered from the site. Prima facie, the slain Maoist was a member of the CPI-Maoist ‘platoon number 16’.

On June 27, 2024, two tribals, including a woman, were injured in an Improvised Explosive Device (IED) explosion triggered by the Maoists near the forested village of Tadelbaya under Barsoor Police Station limits in Dantewada District.

On May 23, 2024, a CPI-Maoist cadre was killed in an encounter with SFs in a forest along the Narayanpur-Bijapur border area, under the jurisdiction of the Barsoor Police Station in Dantewada District. The Maoists planted a 15-kilogramme IED with the aim of causing harm to the SFs, which was safely destroyed on the spot by the SFs. A huge cache of arms, ammunition, and explosives was also recovered. The identity of the slain Maoist was yet to be ascertained.

On May 22, 2024, at least seven Maoists were killed in an encounter with the SFs that took place in the jurisdiction of Barsoor Police Station limits in Dantewada District. The operation began at around 11am [IST] when Maoists suddenly opened fire on the Forces, and intermittent firing continued into the evening. As the Forces moved forward, they found the bodies of seven Maoists “dressed in the uniforms of the People’s Liberation Guerrilla Army (PLGA) and also their weapons”. The identities of the Maoists were yet to be ascertained.

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