CM visits Maoist-hit Gadchiroli; 11 rebels surrender

NAGPUR: Maharashtra chief minister Devendra Fadnavis began the New Year with a visit to the Maoist-affected district of Gadchiroli on Wednesday. Aspiring to serve as the Guardian Minister for the tribal district, Fadnavis travelled in a public bus, conducted an aerial survey, and interacted with school children during his visit.

In a significant development showcasing the district’s progress in overcoming Maoism, 11 Maoist rebels, including the senior leader Tarakka Sidam, surrendered before Fadnavis at the Gadchiroli police headquarters. Fadnavis had indicated making Gadchiroli Maoist-free in three years, in the winter session of the legislature in Nagpur last month.

Tarakka, a member of the Dandkaranya Zonal Committee, has been active in the movement for 38 years and carried a bounty of ₹75 lakh across Maharashtra, Chhattisgarh and Telangana.

Tarakka alias Vimalaa, resident of Kisthapur, near Aheri in Gadchiroli district, has been a part of the naxalite movement since 1985 and involved in several violent Maoist missions. She is the wife of senior naxalite leader, Bhupathi, presently a politburo member of the banned CPI (Maoist) and brother of late Kisanji, another politburo member of the banned organisation. During his stint in Gadchiroli in late ’80s, Bhupathi, was impressed with this tribal girl, who was unschooled but possessed impressive organisational skills. He finally married her in the early ’90s.

Speaking to the media and police officials, Fadnavis declared that the Maoist influence in Gadchiroli is waning. “North Gadchiroli is now completely Naxal-free, and South Gadchiroli will soon follow. The movement has lost its backbone, with no cadre recruitment in the past four to five years and several commanders surrendering,” he stated.

Fadnavis credited PM Narendra Modi and Union home minister Amit Shah for their role in fostering state coordination, joint operations, and intelligence-sharing to combat Maoism. He highlighted the growing trust in India’s Constitution and noted the public’s rejection of Naxalite ideology. “No one supports Maoists anymore, and not a single person is willing to join the outlawed movement,” he added.

Fadnavis also praised the efforts of the Gadchiroli police, including the elite C-60 commando unit, for dismantling Maoist strongholds and improving access to remote tribal areas. “Our police have established outposts in former Maoist-dominated regions, and infrastructure development, including roads and mobile towers, is underway to connect these areas to the mainstream,” he said.

On Wednesday he also inaugurated the new facilities by Lloyds Metals, at Konsari near Ashti, contributing to the district’s transformation into India’s second ‘Steel City’ after Jamshedpur.