Large-Scale Anti-Naxal Operation Targets Key Stronghold
Image Source: Bureaucrats India
New Delhi: In what may prove to be a crucial offensive against left-wing extremism ahead of the March 2026 target to eliminate it, nearly 5,000 security personnel have moved in on the ‘core’ stronghold of the CPI (Maoist) situated at the tri-junction of Chhattisgarh, Telangana, and Maharashtra. Around 300 Naxalites, including top leaders from the feared People’s Liberation Guerrilla Army and Battalion No. 1, have reportedly been surrounded.
Chhattisgarh government sources revealed that this is the “largest ever” Anti-Naxal operation along the Chhattisgarh-Telangana border. Since its launch on Wednesday, five Naxalites have been killed, three bodies recovered, and numerous hideouts dismantled.
This high-stakes joint mission involves elite units like the CRPF, its CoBRA battalion, Chhattisgarh’s District Reserve Guard (DRG), Special Task Force (STF), Bastar Fighters, Maharashtra’s C-60 Commandos, and Andhra Pradesh’s Greyhounds. Intelligence reports indicate the presence of senior Maoist leaders—Hidma, linked to major attacks in Abujmarh, along with Deva and Damodar—alongside more than 150 hardcore insurgents from the PLGA and Battalion No. 1. Top officers, including CRPF Director General G. P. Singh, are on the ground monitoring the mission.
For the first time, Indian Air Force helicopters are being used to airdrop troops deep into the dense forest, signalling a shift in anti-insurgency tactics. A senior police officer said the mission’s core goal is to apprehend or neutralise key figures like Hidma, Deva, and Damodar, believed to be central to the Maoist leadership.
Hidma is regarded as the principal strategist for Naxal activities in South Bastar, while Deva holds a prominent leadership position. Intelligence also points to Damodar and other top cadre being present, and their capture or elimination is seen as essential to breaking the insurgent leadership. According to a CRPF source, this coordinated assault was deliberately timed before the monsoon season, when the forest terrain becomes largely impassable. “The plan is to finish off the Maoist threat before the March 2026 deadline,” an officer stated.
The operation is concentrated on clearing out Naxal-held forest zones in Venkatapuram mandal—particularly Veerabhadram, Tadapala, Nichhenna, Wajedu mandal, and Morumuru. Ongoing efforts in recent years have enabled security forces like the CRPF, in collaboration with local police, to advance deeper into former Maoist bastions and establish forward operational bases. A senior Chhattisgarh police official noted that over 5,000 personnel are actively participating in the mission, with approximately 300 Naxals reportedly encircled. Firefights continue intermittently as forces tighten their grip, hoping to deliver a major blow to the insurgents. Intelligence suggests top Maoist leaders from Battalion No. 1 are among those trapped, fuelling optimism of a significant breakthrough.
Security forces have sealed off the area and are intensifying their movement into the jungle, steadily increasing pressure on the extremists, another officer confirmed.
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- Freelance Journalist
- Aryan Gulati is a dedicated media student based in Meerut with a wealth of experience in various newspapers and media houses. He has numerous published articles and specializes in political and crime news writing, demonstrating a strong commitment to impactful journalism.
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