The Chhattisgarh police have reported a significant escalation in the state's crackdown against Maoist insurgency over the past year, revealing that 357 Maoists were neutralised in operations conducted between 2024 and 2025.

This figure marks one of the highest annual casualties among Maoist ranks in recent history, signalling a decisive shift in the security landscape of central India.

A detailed police statement disclosed that the casualties included four members of the Maoist Central Committee and 15 leaders at the state committee level, indicating that the security operations have specifically targeted the insurgent leadership.

The Dandakaranya Special Zonal Committee, spanning across the Bastar range districts of Chhattisgarh and adjacent Gadchiroli in Maharashtra, bore the brunt of these losses, with 281 Maoists killed within its jurisdiction.

According to Inspector General of Police for Bastar Range, Sundarraj Pattlingam, the collaborative efforts of security forces and the support from local communities have notably diminished the capabilities of the Communist Party of India (Maoist), pushing the organisation into what he described as its "weakest phase in recent history." Pattlingam emphasized that the loss of experienced leaders and a decrease in active cadet strength have deeply destabilised the Maoist organisational structure.

Notably, out of the total Maoists killed, 136 were women, drawing attention to the extent to which the group has enlisted women in its ranks and, as alleged by police, used them as human shields during confrontations. This highlights both the complexities and the tragic human dimension of the ongoing conflict.

The year also saw other notable incidents: in a separate anti-Naxal operation in Jharkhand's Bokaro district, a Maoist with a bounty of ₹5 lakh on his head—identified as Kunwar Manjhi—was killed in a pre-dawn encounter in the Birhordera forest.

The gunfight also resulted in the death of CRPF Jawan Parneswar Koch and a civilian caught in the crossfire. The operation followed specific intelligence inputs, and security forces recovered an AK-47 rifle from the site. Authorities have stated that the search and combing operations in the area are ongoing, as arrangements were made to honour the slain CRPF Jawan before his body’s return to his home state.

The operation's results, as acknowledged by both police sources and independent monitoring, underscore a period of intensified state action and sustained counter-insurgency efforts. Police officials attribute the major breakthroughs to enhanced intelligence, improved coordination among security forces, and an increasing willingness of local communities to cooperate with the authorities.

The Maoists themselves have admitted to the heavy losses, contextualizing them within their ongoing campaign against the state, but security agencies consider this a critical weakening of insurgency activity in the region.

Overall, these developments reflect a pivotal phase in India's decades-long struggle with Maoist insurgency, with the latest operations dramatically weakening the Maoists’ presence, especially in their Bastar stronghold and the larger Dandakaranya region.

Based On A PTI Report