No proposal to disband Anti-Naxal Force: Parameshwara in Council

Contradicting comments by the chief minister and the home minister in the budget as well as an answer to a starred question in the assembly has led to uncertainly over the future of the Anti-Naxal Force (ANF). While the chief minister Siddaramaiah, in his 2025-26 budget speech, declared that the force would be disbanded, the home minister asserted in the legislative council that the ANF remains operational and there are no immediate plans to dissolve it.

“During our government, underground Naxals surrendered before the Naxal Surrender and Rehabilitation Scheme Committee. With the state now declared Naxal-free, the Anti-Naxal Force will be disbanded. Additionally, ₹10 crore has been allocated to reintegrate surrendered Naxalites into mainstream society and develop infrastructure in Naxal-affected areas,” Siddaramaiah had said in the budget,

Meanwhile, home minister Parameshwara, stated in a written reply to an unstarred question by MLC Kushalappa that the ANF continues to function and that there is no proposal to terminate its operations. Furthermore, he clarified that the government is not considering new recruitments for the force. “The Anti-Naxal Force remains operational, and there are no immediate plans to disband it,” read the response.

Parameshwara’s response in the Council detailed recent Naxal activity in Karnataka’s Kodagu and Dakshina Kannada districts, involving individuals such as Vikram Gowda, Mundagaaru Latha, Sundari, Jayanna Vanajakshi, Kotehonda Ravindra from Karnataka, TN Jisha from Kerala, and K. Vasanth and Santosh from Tamil Nadu. Several cases have been registered against them in different police stations.

Police officials have voiced concerns over disbanding the force, pointing out that despite the reduction in Naxal activity, continuous monitoring is necessary. “We cannot halt patrolling just because incidents have declined. A security presence is crucial,” a senior police official stated.

The dissolution of the unit would result in the loss of specialised expertise held by over 1,000 personnel trained specifically for counter-Naxal missions. “Many of these officers have not experience other than ANF operations, and they specialists in this. Finding suitable reassignments for them would be a challenge,” the officer noted.

The government’s data also revealed that on November 18, 2024, an encounter in Peetabailu forest, Udupi district, led to the death of Naxal leader Vikram Gowda. A few months later, on January 8, 2025, six Naxals, including those from Karnataka, Kerala, and Tamil Nadu, surrendered before the Chief Minister. On February 1, 2025, another Naxal, Kotehonda Ravindra, surrendered before the Chikkamagaluru district administration, followed by Tombattu Lakshmi in Udupi.

Since 2008, the Karnataka government has spent over ₹201 crore on tackling Naxal activities. Of this, ₹150 crore has been spent on salaries from 2018 to February 2025, while non-salary expenditures amount to ₹51.31 crore from 2008 to 2025, according to Home Minister Parameshwara.

Established in 2005 following increased Naxal violence, including the killing of seven Karnataka State Reserve Police (KSRP) personnel in Pavagada, the ANF was formed from the Special Task Force (STF) that had previously neutralized forest brigand Veerappan. The unit, headquartered in Karkala, Udupi district, currently comprises over 500 personnel stationed across 15 camps.