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The Hindu
23-06-2025
- Politics
- The Hindu
Among slain Maoists in Chhattisgarh since 2024, one-third were women, show data
More than one-third of alleged Maoist cadres killed since 2024 in security operations with police and other security forces in Chhattisgarh were women, data show. There has been a sharp increase in the percentage of women Maoist cadres being killed in security operations in the years 2024 and 2025, compared to the previous years, coinciding with increase in the number of operations amid the Ministry of Home Affairs' (MHA's) call to end Maoism by March 2026. In the year 2024, the number of Maoists killed in Chhattisgarh stood at 217, out of which 74 were women, while till June 20 this year, out of 195 Maoists killed, 82 were women. In the years 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022 and 2023, the number of Maoists killed were 65, 40, 51, 30 and 20 respectively, out of which the number of women killed in the respective years stood at 17, 7, 13, 9 and 5. 'Bal Dastas' According to the MHA, Maoists have formed 'Bal Dastas' comprising young children in Chhattisgarh and Jharkhand. 'The idea is to brainwash and indoctrinate young children to Maoist ideology. Most parents do not want to part with their children. But faced with coercion and threats, many poor Adivasi parents prefer to part with the girlchild. This inhuman practice by Maoists is the reason behind large number of young girls/women being present among the Maoist cadres,' the MHA said on its website. Also read | Is this the endgame for the Maoists? The Ministry added that women were also pushed to the forefront of engagements with the security forces. 'In spite of the Maoists professing disapproval of 'patriarchy', the number of women in top echelons of their leadership like the PB [Polit Bureau] and CC [central committee] are negligible,' the MHA said. The Ministry data show that since 2019, 725 civilians have been killed 'by Left Wing Extremism [LWE]' and during the same period there have been 263 incidents of attack on 'economic infrastructure' in LWE-affected States. 'The Maoists wish to keep the population in their strongholds cut-off from the mainstream milieu. Schools are attacked because education promotes a spirit of enquiry among the local population and equips children with skills for alternative sources of livelihood. These developments are looked upon by the Maoists as potential threats to their very existence and their outdated ideology,' the Ministry said. P. Sundarraj, Inspector General of Police (Bastar Range), said that in the earlier years, women and young girls — particularly from the tribal and rural areas of the Bastar region — were often coerced or misled into joining Maoist organisations. 'However, once inducted, these women cadres were largely used as foot soldiers and human shields by the Maoist leadership. Over time, they were subjected to various forms of exploitation, neglect, and physical and emotional hardship. We remain firmly committed to addressing this issue with both sensitivity and determination. Our priority continues to be the promotion of voluntary surrender through humane, gender-sensitive rehabilitation policies that offer access to education, employment, healthcare, and social reintegration,' the IG said.
The Hindu
31-05-2025
- Politics
- The Hindu
Security forces engage in encounter with Maoists in Jharkhand's Jhariakela
The security forces engaged in an encounter with members of the banned Maoist organisation CPI (Maoist) at around 12 p.m. on May 30. The encounter occurred in the hilly/forest areas of Vangram Tirilposi under Jhariakela Police Station in Jharkhand, a press release said. During the encounter, seeing the security forces gaining an upper hand, the Maoists fled from the incident spot by taking advantage of the forests and mountains. Explosives and other daily-use items were recovered and seized by the security forces during the search operation. Recently, the Indian forces conducted a major anti-Maoist operation in Chhattisgarh's Narayanpur, eliminating 27 Maoists, which included top commander Basavaraju. Basavaraju, the general secretary of CPI (Maoist), has been involved in Maoist activities for the past 40-45 years and has been involved in more than 200 Maoist activities. Meanwhile, Maoist activity in Bastar and many regions of India has 'reduced significantly' as a result of carrying out operations against the banned and 'illegal' CPI-M outfit, a police official said on Wednesday (May 28, 2025). Inspector General (IG) of police, Bastar, P. Sundarraj told ANI, 'As a result of carrying out operations against the banned and illegal CPI-M outfit, Maoist activity in Bastar and many regions of India has reduced significantly... 4 districts of Bastar sub-division, Bijapur, Sukma, Narayanpur, and Kanker were identified as the most affected LWE districts... 6 districts of Chhattisgarh, including Bastar, Dhamtari, and Rajnandgaon, will be specially monitored by us for any kind of resurgence'. The IG stated that most of the districts in Chhattisgarh are seeing a drop in Maoist activity. 'In the country, only 18 districts are Maoist-affected, and 28 districts are included in the list of districts of maximum thrust... District of maximum thrust means that Maoist activity in the district has reduced to a great extent, but strict observations are still required... Most of the districts in Chhattisgarh are seeing a drop in maoist activity...,' he said.
