The battle for Maoist stronghold Abujhmad

Also Read: 18 Maoists killed, 4 jawans injured in separate encounters in Chhattisgarh

“In March 2024, we were 50 km away from the Maharashtra border. Today our forces went to the border. The last camp was Padamkot. This means we have connected Abujhmad — east to west. The prejudice that Abujhmad cannot be conquered and Naxals will have a free run at the Maharashtra border is a thing of the past,” said an officer, requesting anonymity.

Prabhat Kumar, superintendent of police, Narayanpur, confirmed that the last stretch in Abujhmad between Chhattisgarh and Maharashtra was taken over on Saturday evening, mere hours before Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to Chhattisgarh on Sunday.

The brown road represents the latest conquest in the government’s fierce onslaught on Maoists in the past year. Forces have killed at least 135 Maoists this year and 219 last year, far higher than 22 in 2023 and 30 in 2022. Security forces have also arrested 104 rebels in different parts of the country so far in 2025, and another 164 have surrendered, according to a home ministry statement earlier this month.

Also Read: 50 Maoists surrender in Bijapur ahead of PM Modi’s Chhattisgarh visit

Looming behind these recent successes is the stated aim of the government, reiterated by Modi on Saturday, of wiping out left-wing extremism in India by March 31, 2026. With a year to go for the deadline, HT begins a new series that will take a critical and expansive look at the government’s push, the ripples in the state, Maoism, and the response of locals. The first part focuses on the conquering of Abujhmad.

Uncharted area

In the Gondi language, Abujhmad means “the unknown hills” – a dense forest spanning approximately 5,000 square kilometres and the districts of Narayanpur, Bijapur, and Dantewada in Chhattisgarh. A challenging terrain of thick forests of sal, teak and tendu, and hills have historically limited access and administrative presence, putting the indigenous communities – the Gond, Muria, Abujhmarhia, Madiya, and Halba tribes – at the mercy of the insurgents.

Also Read: Woman Maoist leader with ₹25 lakh bounty shot dead: Chhattisgarh police

Since the early 1990s, Maoists have used Abujhmad to build training camps and establish control over local communities – roughly 50,000 tribespeople live in 300 villages – calling the region often a “liberated zone”.

The isolation of Abujhmad made it a strategic stronghold for the Communist Party of India (Maoist), which brought the entire region under its grip in the early 2000s, by repeatedly destroying infrastructure such as schools and roads, and establishing a parallel administration known as “jantana sarkar”.

For as long as he can remember, the 50-year-old farmer’s life has revolved around the waxing and waning of Maoist operations. Deep inside the emerald embrace of Abujhmad, his ancestral village of Todopot was run by the diktat of the insurgents’ unofficial administration. But now, the mood inside the mud huts are changing.

“The Maoists are not as visible as before…They have moved deeper into the forests. There is frequent movement of security forces which sometimes creates panic but we are getting used to it,” the paddy cultivator said.

Since January 2024, forces have established 10 camps in this forest – Kasturmeta, Maspur, Irakbhatti, Mohandi, Horadi, Garpa, Kachhapal, Kodeliyar, Kutul and Bedmakoti. Between 2006 and 2023, only 13 camps were established, and not one was within the forest. The records also show that in Narayanpur alone, where most part of Abujhmad falls, forces have neutralised 70 Maoists and forced the surrender of 80 others. Across Abujhmad, 150 Maoists have been neutralised since December 2023.

To be sure, the government push is still a new development, and many live in fear. “It is their [Maoists] bastion. The security personnel are not here everyday to save you. It is just that because of the big operations of security personnel, they have shifted much deeper,” said a local resident grazing his cattle near the Indravati river.

Making inroads

For about 30 years, the biggest asset for the Maoists was the inaccessibility of Abujhmad. Early into the operation, the forces zeroed in on three interconnected factors – neutralising rebels with multi-district operations, opening camps and building roads.

“All these years, Maoists tried to exploit the inaccessibility of the region in their favour. But now the area is opening up and the native population is getting connected to the outside world,” a second officer said, requesting anonymity.

“There were few operational bases or launchpads earlier in the Abujhmad area. We opened up 10 new camps in Abujhmad in 2024 which was a game changer,” this officer added.

He pointed to two strategic stretches – the Narayanpur-Sonepur-Maroda-Chhote Bethia road, and the Narayanpur-Kutul-Laheri road – that have served the forces in multiple encounters.

Forces say they’ve covered around two-thirds of the region, but the last stretch might be tricky, especially because senior Maoist leaders are believed to be camping at the southern and south western part of Abujhmad near the Maharashtra border and the Narayanpur-Maharashtra-Bijapur trijunction.

“At least eight Central Committee Members (CCM), 20 Special Zonal Committee Members (SZCM), seven Divisional Committee Members (DVCM), 37 Company Platoon Committee Members (CyPC) are still in Abujhmad. Approximately 89 senior Maoist leaders and 484 foot soldiers are present,” said an intelligence officer.

Key to this push will be inter-agency coordination, critical in mounting multi-district simultaneous operations. “We are getting full cooperation of a multi-district force along with an STF and Chhattisgarh Armed Police Force (CAPF). This coordination is helping us in anti-naxal operations deep in Abujhmad,” said a senior officer posted in Bastar.

Inspector General of Police, Bastar range, Sundarraj P said that the security forces have managed to gain a decisive edge in Abujhmad.“The police have improved operational and developmental reach by establishing forward operating bases. We are hopeful of bringing in positive and meaningful transformation.”

Local outreach

Security forces across the spectrum are unanimous that the main factor that will determine the durability of the inroads is the goodwill of the local tribal population. “Our strategy is to target the senior-most Maoist formations and their protection ring. We are focusing on attracting lower cadres, militia and supporters for surrender. Ultimately, we are trying to win the villagers’ hearts so that we can move freely inside the jungle,” said the second officer quoted above.

Prabhat Kumar, the Narayanpur SP, said the building of roads across Abujhmad would have been impossible without winning over local residents. “Even in January 2024, there were six protest sites in Narayanpur. Maoists forced villages to block roads and stop the security forces from going inside. But now, we have won the locals over, and crossed the last stretch of 50 km.”

In this operation, the administration has targeted what it believes to be front operations of the Maoists – such as the banned Maad Bachao Manch, which allegedly put up permanent protest sites across the forest with 100-odd huts. According to a charge sheet filed by the National Investigation Agency in June, 2024, the Maad Bachao Manch organises protests against encounters, helps set up new Maoist camps, and provides them logistical support.

The administration launched a new Maad Bachao Abhiyan as a counter-response. “We spoke to villagers who sat in protest. Today, there are no protests. In fact, the same villagers have come to the district administration and now want roads connected to their villages. They want schools and health centres,” said Kumar.

The government is now working on the final frontier in areas freed of Maoist influence – setting up mobile phone towers. “At least 10 mobile towers will be set up across the Abujhmad area in the next three months,” said an officer.

The residents of the area, however, were apprehensive about the future amid the force’s push. “The movement of forces has increased due to which Maoists are now planting IEDs at various spots. Things are in a transitional and precarious phase and we locals are at the receiving end,” said a resident of Abujhmad area.