What Actions Were Taken by Security Forces in Chhattisgarh Against Maoist Threats?
Synopsis
Key Takeaways
Raipur/Bijapur, Feb 12 (NationPress) In the latest anti-Maoist operations in Chhattisgarh's Bijapur district, security forces successfully identified and neutralized several improvised explosive devices (IEDs) while also dismantling memorials purportedly erected by Maoists to pay tribute to their fallen leaders.
During one operation, a collaborative effort from the Awapalli police station alongside Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) battalions was underway in the demining operations along the Awapalli-Murdanda road. Approximately three kilometers from the Murdanda Camp, bomb disposal experts uncovered a large IED weighing roughly 30 kg, believed to have been hidden by Maoists in a foxhole dug about five feet deep and two feet beneath the road surface.
As per police reports, the device was equipped with a switch designed to target larger vehicles. Due to its depth, safe removal was not an option, and the IED was consequently detonated in place as a safety precaution.
This controlled explosion left a significant crater in the road, which was later filled to ensure the resumption of vehicular traffic. Officials noted that this timely intervention prevented a potential major assault.
In a separate mission, during demining procedures conducted by CRPF battalions in the forward operating base (FOB) Doditumnar area under the jurisdiction of Gangaloore police station, a smaller 5 kg pressure IED was also discovered and safely destroyed on-site.
Furthermore, security personnel from a CoBRA battalion, operating under the Kutru police station, located and dismantled a memorial erected by Maoists along the banks of the Indravati river in the Maad region.
This particular structure honored Basavaraju (real name Nambala Keshava Rao), the former general secretary of the banned CPI (Maoist), who was killed during an encounter in Abujhmad in May 2025 along with 26 others.
Described by security agencies as an engineer and a skilled expert in guerrilla warfare and IED construction, Basavaraju had been a significant figure in the Maoist insurgency for many years.
In a related initiative, while conducting search and area domination operations in the forested regions of Todka-Korcholi and Peddakorma, another CRPF battalion team successfully dismantled additional Maoist memorials.
Officials indicated that these operations are part of a larger strategy aimed at dismantling both the operational and symbolic presence of the Maoist organization in the area. By removing such memorials, security forces strive to limit Maoist propaganda and dissuade any attempts to exert influence over local populations.
The actions are integral to ongoing efforts to restore order in the Bastar division, aligning with the government’s goal of eradicating Left-wing extremism.