Chhattisgarh cadre now make up 46% of Maharashtra’s Maoist movement

Nagpur: Security agencies claim that 46% of the Maoist cadre strength active in eastern Maharashtra’s most affected district Gadchiroli is from Chhattishgarh.
In 2016-17, 14% of the manpower in Maharashtra’s local dalams comprised Chhattisgarh cadres or only 30 out of 203 in all. In 2021-22, the total cadre strength of Maoists has come down to 127 due to relentless police action. Out of the 127 official Maoist cadres, 59 are from the adjoining districts of Chhattisgarh, including many from the ‘liberated zones’ in the neighbouring states.
The statistics, available with TOI, show a slight fall in cadre percentage of Chhattisgarh natives in Maharashtra in 2017-18, at 13% (29 out of 211) from 14% in 2016-17.
In the last seven years, Maoists had the maximum strength of 245 in 2018-19, with 23% of them from Chhattisgarh (58). This percentage of Chhattisgarhi cadre in the local guerilla movement of Gadchiroli shot up to 31% in 2019-20.
Out of the 216 Maoists neutralized since 2009, 150 were killed in the last seven years, which is almost 70% of the total encounter deaths of rebels. Around 212 were also arrested since 2016, and 49 surrendered in the last three years.
SP Ankit Goyal, whose regime had seen almost 60 cadres being neutralized and 58 arrested, said the present cadres from Gadchiroli in the movement are old-timers and rank holders. “As of now, there are no fresh or young faces from Gadchiroli in the dalams. The existing ones are those who had joined several years ago,” said Goyal, adding police’s ‘Dadalora Khidki’ scheme had provided jobs to hundreds of youngsters and offered benefits like skill development and document preparation to numerous families.
DIG, Naxal range, Sandip Patil, who has been former SP of Gadchiroli, said 40 Maoists were neutralized in Kasansur-Boriya twin encounters in April 2018 in south Gadchiroli. This had compelled the rebel leaders to bring Chhattisgarhi cadres to Maharashtra, as the local manpower and some of their key leaders were neutralized by C-60 commandos of Maharashtra.
“Community policing efforts and government assistance through various schemes has softened the inherent anti-establishment view of the local Gachiroli tribals. The Maoists have lost mass support and hence there is no drive to join their rebel movement,” said Patil, adding police also constantly keep tabs on families and friends of Maoist cadres, and visit them frequently to convince them to surrender.
Patil said encounter deaths of top local cadres like Milind Teltumbde, Sukhlal Parchake, Nandu, Sainath and others have also loosened the grip of Maoists on the Gadchiroli tribals.