Ahead of March Deadline, Forces Close In on Bastar’s Last Maoist Pockets
📅 January 5, 2026
✍️ Editor: Sudhir Choudhary, The Vagabond News
Indian security forces have intensified operations across the dense forested tracts of Bastar, tightening the noose around what officials describe as the last remaining strongholds of Left Wing Extremism in central India. With a March deadline set by the Union government to decisively weaken Maoist operational capacity, coordinated offensives are now underway across remote pockets straddling Chhattisgarh, Odisha, and Telangana.
Senior security officials say the focus has narrowed to a handful of deeply entrenched zones in south Bastar, including parts of Sukma, Bijapur, and Dantewada districts—areas long considered bastions of the outlawed CPI (Maoist).
Multi-Force Push in Dense Terrain
The current phase of operations involves joint teams of the Central Reserve Police Force, its elite CoBRA units, state police District Reserve Guards, and specialised intelligence units. Officials say improved coordination, real-time intelligence, and expanded use of drones have allowed forces to penetrate areas that were once considered inaccessible.
“These are not broad sweeps anymore,” a senior officer involved in the operations said. “We are conducting precise, intelligence-driven missions aimed at dismantling leadership hideouts, arms caches, and logistical routes.”
Security forces have also established new forward operating bases deep inside forest interiors, cutting down Maoist movement corridors and limiting their ability to regroup or launch large-scale attacks.
Shrinking Maoist Footprint
According to internal assessments, Maoist influence in Bastar has significantly declined over the past two years, with several mid-level commanders either neutralised or surrendering. Recruitment has slowed, supply lines have weakened, and local support networks have eroded as development projects expand deeper into former insurgent zones.
Officials say the remaining Maoist cadres are increasingly confined to small forest clusters near inter-state borders, using rugged terrain and improvised shelters to evade detection. “Their operational capability is a fraction of what it once was,” an intelligence official noted, cautioning however that the threat has not been fully eliminated.
March Deadline and Political Signal
The March deadline—set internally by the Centre—has injected urgency into the campaign. Union security planners view the dismantling of Bastar’s last Maoist pockets as crucial to declaring a decisive turning point in India’s decades-long battle with Left Wing Extremism.
While the government has not publicly announced a timeline, officials familiar with strategy discussions say the goal is to significantly degrade Maoist command structures before the onset of the summer months, when forest cover thins and movement becomes easier.
Development Runs Parallel to Security
Alongside security operations, authorities are accelerating development initiatives—road construction, mobile connectivity, health camps, and welfare delivery—in reclaimed areas. Officials believe sustained development is critical to preventing Maoist resurgence once security forces withdraw.
Local administrators say improved access has already changed daily life in several villages that were previously cut off for decades. However, rights groups continue to urge caution, calling for transparency and safeguards to protect tribal communities during operations.
A निर्णायक Phase
Security officials describe the current phase as one of the most decisive in recent years. While sporadic encounters and ambush attempts continue, large-scale Maoist strikes have sharply declined.
“The conflict is not over yet,” a senior officer said. “But Bastar is no longer the impenetrable fortress it once was.”
As forces press ahead toward the March deadline, the outcome of these operations could shape the future of internal security in central India—and determine whether Bastar finally turns the page on an insurgency that has defined the region for generations.
Source: Security officials in Chhattisgarh; central paramilitary briefings; state intelligence inputs
Tags: Bastar, Maoist insurgency, Chhattisgarh, CRPF, Left Wing Extremism, Internal security
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