Chhattisgarh

• 17 Apr 2024

29 Maoists Killed in Massive Chhattisgarh Encounter

Why in News?

According to the sources, in one of the largest operations by security forces in Chhattisgarh,29 Naxalites have been killed in the Kanker area.

Key Points

• Before this, Greyhound commandos had eliminated 30 Naxalites in an operation in 2016.
  • In another operation in 2021, top Naxal leader along with 25 others was eliminated.
• On April 16, a search operation by a joint team of Kanker District Reserve Guard (DRG) and Border Security Force (BSF) was launched in the Chhottebetiya police station limit area in Kanker district.
  • There was an exchange of fire between Maoists and security forces near Binagunda-Koragutta jungles of the Chhottebetiya Police station area.

The Greyhounds

• It is an elite anti-Maoist force raised in 1989 by IPS officer K.S. Vyas to combat the growing Maoist threat in Andhra Pradesh.
• The members are well-trained in guerilla and jungle warfare.
• Members of the force cannot be over 35 years.
• Once they cross 35, they are drafted into the civil police until retirement.
• This special police force became the root cause for the downfall of Left Wing Extremism in Andhra Pradesh.
• It also inspired other similar forces to fight the Maoists.

Naxalism in India

• The term Naxalism derives its name from the village Naxalbari of West Bengal.
• It originated as rebellion against local landlords who bashed a peasant over a land dispute. The rebellion was initiated in 1967, with an objective of rightful redistribution of the land to working peasants under the leadership of Kanu Sanyal and Jagan Santhal.
• Started in West Bengal, the movement has spread across Eastern India; in less developed areas of states such as Chhattisgarh, Odisha and Andhra Pradesh.
• It is considered that Naxals support Maoist political sentiments and ideology.
  • Maoism is a form of communism developed by Mao Tse Tung. It is a doctrine to capture State power through a combination of armed insurgency, mass mobilization and strategic alliances.