Nagpur: Maharashtra is on the cusp of a historic milestone, poised to become free of Maoists, as Gadchiroli — once the epicentre of Left-wing extremism in central India — has recorded no major insurgency since February 2026.A total of 794 Maoists surrendered across the state so far under the surrender and rehabilitation policy and year 2025 proved to be a landmark, clocking a record 112 surrenders. The most high-profile among them was on Oct 15, 2025, when senior Maoist leader Mallojula Venugopal alias Bhupati — a member of the Maoist politburo — laid down arms along with 61 associates and 54 weapons in the presence of chief minister Devendra Fadnavis. This single event significantly weakened the organisational backbone of Maoists in the region. Since the beginning of last year, Gadchiroli alone has seen 123 hardened Maoist surrenders, including a recent batch of 11 senior cadres with a collective bounty of ₹68 lakh, comprising divisional committee members and commanders, who gave up arms in March 2026. Gondia district has already been declared free of Maoists.Gadchiroli SP Neelotpal expressed confidence that the district and the state are well on track to meet the Centre’s target of ending Maoist insurgency across the country by March 31. “Since February, we have not recorded any significant Maoist movements in Gadchiroli villages. Only six cadres remain on our radar — five from neighbouring Chhattisgarh and one local from Gadchiroli — currently confined to the Abujmarh along the inter-state border. We are persuading them to surrender and join the mainstream. If they refuse, security forces will have no option but to launch operations,” SP Neelotpal said.The transformation in Gadchiroli has been dramatic and swift. Till January 1, 2024, the entire district was classified Maoist-hit on police records. The security apparatus focussed on clearing North Gadchiroli, then systematically dismantled all armed dalams by mid-2025.In early 2026, the last major formation — Company No. 10 — was dismantled after a fierce encounter that claimed the life of a top Maoist, Prabhakar, who carried a ₹26 lakh bounty, along with armed cadres. One commando was killed in the operation.Statistics reveal the scale of success achieved by Maharashtra Police. Joint teams of Gadchiroli Police, CRPF and C-60 commandos — around 800 personnel — conducted a massive operation on Feb 18 this year, demolishing 44 Maoist memorials in a single day across sensitive areas such as Etapalli, Hedri, Bhamragad, Jimalgatta, Dhanora and Pendhari.These structures, once erected to spread fear among locals, have now been completely erased, removing the last visible symbols of Maoist terror.Parallel to anti-insurgency operations, police have significantly strengthened their ground presence under supervision of DIG Ankit Goyal and IG, State Anti-naxal operation, Sandip Patil.Over past three years, 11 new outposts have been established in remote and previously inaccessible areas, with the final one inaugurated at Bangadi on March 19. This development has effectively bridged a massive security vacuum of nearly 3,000 square kilometres, enabling police teams to swiftly reach any corner of the district.The prolonged conflict has, however, taken its toll. Maharashtra has lost 244 police personnel to Maoist violence over the years, while 602 civilians have been killed by Maoists. Neighbouring states continue to face challenges, with Chhattisgarh still having around 50 armed Maoists and Jharkhand around 60. Surrender drives are ongoing in those states as well.SP Neelotpal attributed the success to a well-coordinated multi-pronged strategy that combined sustained security operations, development initiatives, expanded policing infrastructure and an effective rehabilitation policy for surrendered cadres. If the remaining six cadres either surrender or are neutralised in coming days, the state will be free of five decades of Red terror.
