Police determined to root out Naxalites from Jharkhand’s Chaibasa by March ‘2025

Goutam Shankar Das

A bane to development has been the Naxalite activities in the rural and semi-urban climes of Chaibasa. These elements had been swarming the district, disturbing life and normal activities. The administration and police were being put to test round the clock. Extremism was reaching a peak. But the determination to weed out Naxalite elements got a thrust since 2022 and Naxalites were forced on the backfoot. The dent that the police forces have been making in the Naxalite infested areas of West Singhbhum underlines the DGP’s resolve to clean up the elements by March 2025. No doubt, the heavy Naxal presence has been reduced to splinter groups. Presently, Chaibasa’s Chhotanagra police station has become the centre point of antiterrorist operations. The main Naxalite presence is within 400 square kilometres of this area. Among them are present Maoist Polit Bureau member Misir Besra, Central Committee member Anal alias Patiram Majhi and Asim Mandal alias Akash who each carry Rs One crore reward on their heads. They are in a group of about 80 other Naxalites.

Jharkhand DGP Anurag Gupta has fixed a timeline of March,’25 to free the area of Naxals. With this target, anti-Naxalite operations have been reenforced. Recently, the Jharkhand DGP visited Chaibasa twice and the CRPF DG once.

On the other hand, the central home ministry has set a target of March ’26 to make the country Naxalite-free. Continuous operations to clear West Singhbhum district of Naxalite elements are being conducted emphatically since 2022. In the course of these operations though villagers and security forces have suffered losses but significantly, many Naxalites have also been felled.

Police officials stated that earlier, the Naxalites used to plant heavy IEDs to blow up vehicles carrying security forces. But ever since the security forces opted to launch foot marches, the Naxalites too changed their ploy and started planting smaller IEDs at several places along the routes to target the forces. The security forces, before commencing their march, look out for such devices and destroy them. The Naxalites too are armed with modern weapons to counter security forces. They are in possession of weapons like AK 47, INSAS, SLRs and others.

Heavily armed security forces have been posted to free Chaibasa of Naxalites. Among the forces are 30 companies of CRPF, five companies of Cobra battalion, 20 companies of STF besides jawans of the district police. Police pickets have been set up in interior Naxalite areas where JAP jawans have been posted to ensure that such locations that have been freed from Naxal hold do not again become pockets of extremist activities.

The Jharkhand police is also conducting a psychological warfare against the Naxalites. The police are setting up and strengthening contacts with the Manki Munda so that the Naxalites do not get any support from the local people. The police are also seeking secret information from local people about the Naxalites and their movements. They are organizing various sports events for the youth of these areas to boost the confidence and faith of the local people in them.

With these determined moves, it is expected that Naxalite terror will be flushed out of West Singhbhum. The task may be challenging but gauging by the determination, not impossible.

(Author is a journalist. The views expressed are personal.)