Chhattisgarh Deputy Chief Minister Vijay Sharma on Friday said that 532 Maoists have been killed since January 2024 in the state.
He added that in the same period 2,004 suspected Maoists were arrested and 2,700 others surrendered.
“The government’s resolve against Naxalism is clear,” Sharma said in a press conference. “We are working with full force to ensure that Naxalism is completely eradicated from Chhattisgarh by March 31, 2026.”
Sharma said that seven rehabilitation centres are operational in the state. Around 1,700 former Maoists, including 410 women, have completed skills training at these centres, while 232 are currently undergoing training.
All those who surrender are provided with welcome kits, including mobile phones, to help them reintegrate into society, he added.
“After receiving that mobile phone, I think these people will create their own reels [for Instagram],” he said. “There’s no going back to the jungle. They will experience the entire thrill from the comfort of their own room.”
He added that the mobile phones facilitate those who surrender to connect better with the world outside.
Aadhaar cards, ration cards and Ayushman cards are also being prepared for those who surrender, Sharma said.
The deputy chief minister said the government aims to extend development to every village in Bastar, including access to schools, electricity, drinking water, hospitals and anganwadis.
“We are working to ensure that the Constitution of India reaches every corner of Bastar,” he said.
The Union government has vowed to end Maoism by March 31, 2026.
In February, the Union Ministry of Home Affairs said that the number of districts affected by “Left-wing extremism” has come down to eight from 11 in October.
These districts include Bijapur, Dantewada, Gariyaband, Kanker, Narayanpur and Sukma in Chhattisgarh, West Singhbhum in Jharkhand, and Kandhamal in Odisha.
The Union government had said in October that three districts remained in “most affected” category which are Bijapur, Sukma and Narayanpur in Chhattisgarh.
In the course of the Union government’s anti-Maoist offensive in 2025, key Maoist leaders like Ganesh Uike and Madvi Hidma have been killed, while others like Vikas Nagpure, alias Anant, and Mallojula Venugopal Rao, alias Bhupathi, have surrendered.
A report by Malini Subramaniam for Scroll on Hidma’s killing noted that in the Andhra Pradesh village closest to where he was killed, no one heard gunfire.
She had earlier reported that while many of those killed in Chhattisgarh’s Bastar region in 2024 were declared by the police to be reward-carrying Maoists, several families dispute the claim. The families claim that the persons killed were civilians.
Civil liberties groups and Opposition parties have also questioned some of these killings, alleging that they constitute “fake encounters”.
Also read: As Maoists retreat, why many fear security forces in Chhattisgarh villages
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