Monsoon Deluge Halts Anti-Maoist Operations in Central India's Abujmarh Region

Time of India

4 days ago

Nagpur: The monsoon has brought anti-Maoist operations to a grinding halt in the hinterlands of Dandakaranya forest, particularly at the tottering Maoist headquarters of Abujmarh, forcing commandos to adopt a wait-and-watch strategy for a drier spell to renew efforts.
This pause is particularly challenging given Union home minister Amit Shah's announcement that there would be no breather for Maoists, even during torrential rain, unlike in previous years. Security forces are in a dilemma as rain and floods are giving enough time to the guerrillas to regroup and replenish their armoury.
Torrential rains have caused rivers, rivulets, and nullahs to overflow, rendering forested and hilly terrains of Gadchiroli (Maharashtra), Kanker, Bijapur, and Narayanpur (Chhattisgarh), and border areas of Telangana and Odisha impassable.
Commandos are stationed at base camps, awaiting a dry spell to resume operations.
In Gadchiroli, critical Maoist hideouts are cut off by flooded water bodies. The stretch beyond Beenagunda is inaccessible due to the swollen Gundenoor nullah, posing significant challenges to security forces to cross. In Bhamragarh taluka, a sensitive area, the Juvvi nullah has snapped connectivity between Dhodraj outpost and the newly established Pengunda outpost near the Indravati National Park, a known Maoist bastion.
Similarly, the Medapalli nullah has swamped the region between Maharashtra's last police post of Kawande and Nelgunda forward operating bases, disrupting access to strategic zones along the Maharashtra-Chhattisgarh border. The Godavari river basin, encompassing Gadchiroli's eastern talukas of Bhamragarh, Etapalli, Aheri, and Sironcha, is submerged, a senior official told TOI.
Major rivers like the Godavari, Pranahita, Indravati, Parlakota, and Pamulgautam have marooned large parts of south Gadchiroli, following last week's heavy rainfall, said an official.
The Pranahita, formed by the confluence of the Wardha and Wainganga rivers, flows along the border with Telangana, while the Indravati, a key Godavari tributary, marks the boundary with Chhattisgarh's Bijapur district. Smaller tributaries like the Kathani, Khobragadi, Dina, Gadhavi, Pornimbi, and Kotari rivers, along with numerous unnamed nullahs, breached their banks, inundating low-lying areas and cutting off access to core Maoist zones.
In Chhattisgarh's Bijapur and Narayanpur districts, the Indravati River has exacerbated the situation, flooding areas near Bhadrakali village, where it merges with the Godavari. In Bijapur, the Sabari river, another Godavari tributary, and seasonal nullahs have disrupted operations in dense forests of the Bastar region. Narayanpur's Nibra river, which joins the Indravati at Bhamragadh in Gadchiroli, has further complicated access to Abujmarh, a critical Maoist hub.
In Kanker, the Mahanadi and its tributaries, including the Baroda, Belengar, and Dudh rivers, have swelled, with seasonal nullahs adding to the challenges in forested areas.
Recent operations, such as the one in July 2024, where 12 Maoists were neutralised in Gadchiroli's Wandoli forests despite heavy rains, demonstrate the forces' resilience but also the monsoon's impact. With roads like the Allapalli-Sironcha and Allapalli-Bhamragarh highways submerged and over 200 villages cut off, the district administration has issued warnings for residents near river catchment areas.