In the Naxal Hotbed, 5 More Security Camps Will Open Before the Chhattisgarh Elections
Security forces are making progress in Abujmarh, the center of Maoist-controlled territory, as Chhattisgarh and Telangana prepare for assembly elections. According to representatives of the home ministry who spoke with CNN-News18, five more camps are scheduled to open in the next months. In the Wange Turi neighborhood of the Gadchiroli district, one of the most major camps is probably located. Although this camp would technically be located in Maharashtra, a combined task force of the Maharashtra police, Chhattisgarh police, and Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) will be present there. After the monsoon, this camp should be open for business. By October, we want to have it operating, according to a CRPF officer.
The security forces would have more operational flexibility within Abujmarh if they had a camp at Wange Turi. Officials claimed that blocking access to the nearby armaments manufacturing owned by the Communist Party of India (Maoist) would have a greater impact.
An investigation by the Gadchiroli police in 2021 uncovered the process used by the Naxals at the Wange Turi factory to produce LMGs, pipes, and firearms. This factory also produced sophisticated IEDs and pressure bombs, the most lethal weapon utilized by the Naxals.
According to a security grid officer, “the presence of a joint task force, including the Maharashtra special commando force C60, will create mental pressure too on the Maoist cadre.”
The CoBRA unit of the CRPF and 700–800 soldiers from the Maharashtra and Chhattisgarh polices might initially be stationed at the Wange Turi camp.
Before the election, a second camp in Sukma may start operations.
The Sukma campground between Tondamarka and Kottapalli has been located by the CRPF. In 2017’s Operation Prahar, the CRPF shot down 18 Naxals in Tondamarka. Considered a Naxal den is the location deep within Chintagufa. In Chintagufa, the CRPF lost 25 soldiers in 2017. Following the event, the paramilitary force established camps along the Chintalnar-Kistaram state highway at Palodi, Kottapalli, and Elmagunda. “The newest camp would finish dominating the whole region around this important route. Additionally, it would make it simpler to start up activities in the region, an official added.
Prior to elections, Chhattisgarh saw Maoist assaults on lawmakers and political parties. In 2019, four days before the Bastar general elections, BJP MLA Bhina Mandavi was shot and killed. Following a Maoist assault at Jeeram Ghati in May 2013, the Chhattisgarh leadership of the Congress was completely destroyed. The incident claimed the lives of Mahendra Karma, VC Shukla, and Nand Kumar Patel while they were leaving a campaign for elections.
