Handful of Naxalites now remain: Gadchiroli SP Neelotpal

Mumbai: The Centre has decided to end  the  menace of Naxalism by March 31, 2026. In the Red Corridor, Gadchiroli was once one of  the worst-affected districts. 

This Maharashtra district was used by the CPI (Maoist) cadres to move between Chhattisgarh and Telangana for years, however, now the situation has changed. 

Now only a handful of Naxalites - not more than 10 - are believed to be in Gadchiroli, which is located in the Vidarbha region of Maharashtra. 

In this backdrop, DH’s Mrityunjay Bose spoke to Gadchiroli district’s Superintendent of Police Neelotpal.  

“The Maoists have to surrender and join mainstream or face police action…there is no other option,” said Neelotpal, a daredevil and dashing IPS officer. 

Following are the excerpts of the interview:

The Gadchiroli district has been one of the worst-affected districts as far as  CPI (Maoist) are concerned? What is the current situation now?

There has been a sea change in the situation. North Gadchiroli now  is free of  Maoism. As of now only a handful of Naxalites remain in South Gadchiroli, around 10 of them. We are appealing to them to lay down the arms. They must join the mainstream or face police action. There is no other option. Besides, the government has also given a boost to the development of Gadchiroli and is enhancing connectivity. There is round-the-clock electricity, water supply, mobile towers, hospitals. Various schemes of the Centre and the State government are being implemented.  There is a sense of security among the common people. There is a presence of police and security forces even in the remotest corners. Naxalism will end and will never be able to revive. There is a sense of trust among the public and police. There is everything in Gadchiroli, which any other district has. 

What is the strength of the Naxalite outlaws in Gadchiroli, which falls between Telangana and Bastar region of Chhattisgarh.

In January 2024, Gadchiroli had around 100 Maoist cadres. Now we have barely 10. We are appealing to them to surrender.  If you look at the details, in 2024, there were 10 sub-divisions in Gadchiroli, which was affected by Maoism. Today only around 10 are present in  Bhamragad sub-division. We are asking them to lay down their arms and join the arms. We have a comprehensive surrender-cum-rehabilitation. The Naxalites who have surrendered are staying in Navjeevan Colony,  a separate colony that houses them. Some of the Naxalites who have surrendered are working in the Lloyds plant in Gadchiroli. They have assured to take more people. We are skilling those who have surrendered. We are teaching them to help them pass Class 8 as it is essential for them to get trained under the courses of the Maharashtra State Skill Development Corporation. 

Could you elaborate on the developments in Gadchiroli in the last few years?

In a nutshell, if you look at Gadchiroli district in the past six years, there have been 56 exchanges of fire in which 102 Maoists were neutralised. As many as 164 Maoists were arrested and 145 Maoists surrendered.  During this period, the Gadchiroli police received three Shaurya Chakras, 210 Police Medals for Gallantry, eight President’s Police Medals for Meritorious Service. There has been only one casualty involving security forces since 2020. Gadchiroli today is like any other city or any other district. A very important thing that happened of late is that the Naxal cadres surrendered wtb their weapons. As far as recruitment of cadres are concerned in Gadchiroli, it is nil in the past few years. 

Recently CPI (Maoist) Politburo member and part of Central Military Commission, Malloujula Venugopal Rao alias Sonu aka Bhupathi,  who called the shots along the Chhattisgarh-Maharashtra-Telangana Red Corridor has surrendered. How do you look at this development?

Let me tell you, the surrender by Bhupathi is one of the landmark developments towards ending the Naxalite movement. In fact, 2024-25 has been very important towards combating Maoism and the outlaws. A large number of people have surrendered after his appeal went out. In October and November, this year, there has been a tectonic shift with the police and security forces gaining control. In fact, Maharashtra is playing a big role in ending Naxalism and meeting the March 31, 2026 deadline. The movement has lost support of the public and the Naxals have realised that. 

What led to the change of mind for Bhupathi?

In fact, he has been making up his mind for quite some time. The killing of Nambala Keshava Rao alias Kasavaraju, who was the General Secretary of CPI (Maoist) by security forces on 21 May 2025 was one of the major developments. After that it was Bhupathi who was convincing the commanders and cadres to lay down their arms. On 15 October, 2025, Bhupathi surrendered before Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis. In fact, the Chief Minister was correct when he said that  it was the beginning of the end of the Naxal movement. Earlier, on 1 January, 2025 Bhupathi’s wife Vimala Chandra Sidam alias Tarakka, a member of the Dandakaranya Special Zonal Committee, had surrendered. 

Overall how do you see the situation in the region?

The CPI (Maoist) is in complete disarray. The Maharashtra-Madhya Pradesh-Chhattisgarh (MMC) Special Zone, which comprises bordering districts of the three neighbouring states, has fallen. The Telangana State Committee (TSC) has fallen.