Security forces recapture Naxal-occupied hill; largest operation against ultras continues

New Delhi: A hill with an altitude of 5,000 feet, once a hub of the Maoists along the Chhattisgarh-Telangana border, was reclaimed by the security forces after driving out the extremists following nine days of intense anti-Naxal operation, official sources said.

The rugged Karregutta hill located in a dense forest was a den of dreaded Naxal leaders like Hidma, Deva, Damodar, Azad and Sujata, but has now completely been taken over by security forces, with the tricolour hoisted atop it.

The operation, one of the biggest counter-insurgency actions launched in Chhattisgarh's Bastar region, involved around 24,000 security personnel belonging to different units, including the District Reserve Guard (DRG), Bastar Fighters, Special Task Force (STF), all units of the state police, the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) and its elite Commando Battalions for Resolute Action (CoBRA).

The forces completed the climb over a span of nine days to take control of this strategic high point that is at an altitude of nearly 5,000 feet, sources said on Thursday.

Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Vishnu Deo Sai has been closely monitoring the operation and giving instructions wherever required, they said.

Director General of the CRPF, GP Singh, visited the site of the operation at Karregutta on Wednesday to oversee the progress of the ongoing operation.

Backed by helicopters and drones, the operation was launched on April 21 on the inaccessible terrain and dense forests of Karregutta and Durgamgutta hills spread across an area of around 800 sq km on both sides of inter-state border abutting districts of Bijapur (Chhattisgarh) and Mulugu (Telangana).

The area where the operation is underway is present amid a range of hills surrounded by dense forests 450 km away from Raipur. It is considered to be a safe hideout for Maoists' PLGA (People's Liberation Guerilla Army) battalion No. 1, the strongest military formation of Naxals.

Sources said supplies for the security forces are being air-dropped by helicopters and it has now become clear that this is India's largest anti-Naxal operation, covering a stretch of dense forest and hills.

The operation is part of the government's action against the Naxals. Union Home Minister Amit Shah has set a deadline of March 31, 2026, to completely wipe out the Naxals from the country.

The Chhattisgarh government has categorically stated that no peace talks will be held with the Naxals. "A clear message has been sent - those who surrender will be rehabilitated under the government's surrender policy, but those who choose the path of violence will be dealt with strictly," an officer said.

Inputs suggest more than 500 Naxalites belonging to PLGA battalion No. 1, Telangana State Committee (TSC) and Dandakaranya Special Zonal Committee (DKSZC) of the Maoists led by their top leaders like Hidma, Barse Deva and Damodar had gathered for a meeting and were holed up in the area.

"The operation aimed at clearing the area from the hold of DKSZC, TSC, PLGA battalion no. 1 and Central Regional Committee (CRC) company which had been using the territory as a safe hideout to execute their nefarious plans against the innocent native population and security forces," the official said.

Anti-Naxal operations intensified in Chhattisgarh after the BJP came to power in 2023 after five years of Congress rule, an official said.

Security forces have gunned down more than 350 Naxalites in a string of encounters, mostly centred in the Bastar region, since January 2024.

A total of 18 Naxalites, including 11 women, were killed in twin encounters in the Bastar region on March 29.

So far this year, 144 Naxalites have been gunned down in separate encounters in the state. Of these, 128 were eliminated in the Bastar division comprising seven districts.

About 300 Naxals have also surrendered this year so far. All surrendered Naxalites are provided with assistance of Rs 50,000 each and rehabilitated as per the government's policy.

In 2024, a total of 792 Naxalites surrendered in Chhattisgarh's Bastar region, comprising seven districts.