India has intensified its campaign against the Maoist insurgency in Bastar, Chhattisgarh, marking what appears to be the endgame in a protracted 'Red battle'.

Security forces have zeroed in on the insurgents' last major battlefield in South Bastar following the elimination of top commander Madvi Hidma in November. In a significant development, 11 Maoists, including key leaders with bounties totalling Rs 37 lakh, have surrendered in Narayanpur district.

The spotlight now falls on two pivotal figures: Papa Rao, alias Mongu, and Barsa Deva. Though neither holds a seat on the Central Committee—the CPI (Maoist)'s highest decision-making body—their local influence over South Bastar remains formidable. This region, still harbouring around 150 armed cadres, serves as the outfit's core operational zone, sustained by rugged terrain and entrenched networks.

Barsa Deva, aged 48 and hailing from Puvarti village in Sukma—the same birthplace as Hidma—commands the People's Liberation Guerrilla Army's (PLGA) Battalion 1, the last truly lethal unit in action. Papa Rao, 57, a tribal from nearby Kistaram, shares command of South Bastar. P. Sundarraj, Inspector General of Bastar, notes that this battalion, once 500 strong under Hidma and equipped with AK-47s, light machine guns, and INSAS rifles, now poses the primary threat.

Bastar, encompassing seven Chhattisgarh districts—Bastar, Bijapur, Dantewada, Kanker, Kondagaon, Narayanpur, and Sukma—has witnessed relentless clashes. From January to 9 December 2025, 96 encounters occurred, resulting in 252 Maoist deaths and 23 security personnel losses. Among the fallen were CPI (Maoist) chief Nambala Keshava Rao, alias Basavaraju, and three other Central Committee members; Maoists also killed 46 civilians, often on suspicion of spying.

The Red Corridor in Dandakaranya, once sprawling around Bastar, is contracting rapidly as senior leaders are neutralised or surrender. Operations target Papa Rao and Deva to meet the government's 31 March deadline for eradicating the insurgency. In Bijapur's Gangaloor tehsil, recent visits reveal fortified villages like Palnar, now ringed by security camps, forcing Maoists to flee former strongholds.

Palnar, home to 278 families, was long governed by the Maoists' parallel Jantana Sarkar administration. Newly elected sarpanch Malti Tati has returned after years of absence. Local farmer Sukhram Hemla recounts decades of coercion between Naxalites and police, including his own 15-year imprisonment on fabricated charges; security camps have since driven out the 'dadas'.

Bijapur Superintendent of Police Jitendra Yadav highlights indoctrination in areas like Gangaloor, Bhairamgarh, Usoor, and Indravati National Park, with cadres' bodies recovered even in distant states like Kerala. Yet change accelerates: armed cadres have dropped from 900-1,000 in early 2024 to far fewer, with revolutionary people's committees (RPCs)—village clusters under Maoist control—reduced from over 100 to about 30.

The district now boasts 106 security camps, including 22 with central forces, transforming remote interiors into militarised zones. Nationally, Maoist-affected districts have plummeted from 126 in 2014 to 11 in 2025, with only Bijapur, Sukma, and Narayanpur in Bastar most severely hit. Bijapur, believed to host over half of remaining national cadres, is pivotal to dismantling the corridor by March.

Abujhmad's hills north of the Indravati River, mainly in Narayanpur, once sheltered leaders. While Hidma's battalion struck south, the north stayed quiet to evade scrutiny—a strategy unraveling in 2024 with massive offensives. This displaced politburo and Central Committee members to neighbouring states or urban hideouts, including ex-chief Ganapathi and his wife Sujatha.

Surrendered Central Committee member T. Vasudeva Rao, alias Rupesh, reveals security fears gripped the leadership by March 2025. Basavaraju, nearing 70 and health-compromised, recognised the shifting dynamics but rejected full disarmament, opting for monitored peace talks. Rupesh and politburo member Mallojula Venugopal Rao, alias Sonu Dada, surrendered in October amid opposition from commander Pravakar, alias Ravi or Bhaskar; this followed handing over ₹6 crore and weapons to secure 300 cadres' mainstreaming.

Thippiri Tirupathi, alias Devji, 62, succeeded Basavaraju after a May 2025 shootout in Abujhmad, betrayed by a turncoat guard. Rehabilitation efforts underscore the government's dual strategy. In Bijapur, a camp houses 92 ex-Maoists—nearly half women, some just 20—learning tailoring, construction, driving, and even beautician skills, complete with welcome kits of nail polish, bangles, and sindoor.

Daily life includes volleyball, shared meals of rice and egg curry, and skill sessions. One woman commander, who joined in 2009 amid Salwa Judum-era police atrocities that claimed her brother, vows never to take up arms again. Each receives a Realme smartphone, symbolising reintegration far removed from Maoist ideology.

These initiatives aim to lure holdouts by demonstrating viable alternatives, though challenges persist in ensuring safety and rebuilding lives amid deep scars.

Based On ET News Report