Anti Naxal Force (ANF) personnel at Pittabail, near Hebri, in Udupi district where the encounter of wanted Maoist leader Vikram Gowda took place late on November 18, 2024
| Photo Credit: UMESH S SHETTIGAR
On Monday, eight security personnel were killed when Maoists blew up their vehicle with an improvised explosive device (IED) in Bijapur, Chhattisgarh. While the insurgents have faced a series of setbacks in recent years, and their geographical influence has sharply contracted over the last decade, the latest attack is a stark reminder that their firepower remains a threat in areas where they are still active.
While there have been isolated attacks that have claimed the lives of security forces in Chhattisgarh, no single incident in the past 600 days has claimed the lives of eight or more security personnel. The last deadly incident was in April 2023, when an IED blast in Dantewada killed 10 District Reserve Guard personnel and a civilian driver. The most devastating incident before that occurred in April 2021, when 22 personnel were killed in an encounter in Sukma.
Chart 1 shows the deaths of security personnel in individual incidents since 2000 in Chhattisgarh.
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The April 2010 attack in Dantewada, which claimed the lives of 74 Central Reserve Police Force personnel and two police officers, remains the deadliest single incident for security forces in their operation against the insurgents. The second biggest incident took place in March 2007 when hundreds of Maoists attacked a remote police station and killed over 50 security personnel. Individual incidents that saw massive casualties have significantly decreased over the past decade in the State. This is why the latest attack is significant.
In recent months, many left-wing extremists have been killed in “encounters”, primarily in Chhattisgarh but also in other States, as paramilitary forces and State police have intensified their operations. Deaths among civilians and security forces have remained limited.
Chart 2 depicts fatalities among civilians, security forces, and insurgents over the years across all States in incidents involving Maoists.
Last year was the third deadliest year for the Maoists since 2000 as 296 insurgents were killed. The deadliest year for the insurgents was 2006, when 343 were killed.
In contrast, 24 security personnel died in Maoist incidents last year, the second-lowest number since 2000. The year 2022 was the worst year for the forces, as 15 lives were lost. However, this year has already crossed one-third of last year’s total, with nine personnel dead so far.
Most of the recent incidents were concentrated in south Chhattisgarh, particularly the Bastar region, possibly the Maoists’ last stronghold.
Table 3 highlights the district-wise share of left-wing extremism-related deaths in Chhattisgarh over five-year periods.
Nearly 30% of all such deaths between 2020 and 2025 occurred in Bijapur. Over 65% of the remaining fatalities were reported from other districts in the Bastar region, including Narayanpur, Sukma, Dantewada, Kanker, and Bastar.
Chart 4 displays State-wise left-wing extremism-related deaths since 2000. In 2024, nearly 80% of all fatalities occurred in Chhattisgarh. Incidents in the forested districts of Andhra Pradesh/Telangana, Jharkhand, Maharashtra, Odisha, and West Bengal saw a significant decline.
The geographical contraction of Maoist influence has been largely driven by tribal communities, who have increasingly distanced themselves from the cause. This shift is reflected in the sharp decline in NOTA (None of the Above) votes during the 2023 elections in Chhattisgarh, with only 1.3% opting for it. Historically, regions with higher NOTA vote shares have often had areas that were greatly affected by left-wing extremism.
Source: South Asia Terrorism Portal
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Published – January 10, 2025 08:00 am IST