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New CRPF chief reviews anti-Maoist operations in Chhattisgarh
The newly appointed Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) director general GP Singh arrived in Chhattisgarh on Saturday to assess anti-Maoist operations
The newly appointed Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) director general GP Singh arrived in Chhattisgarh on Saturday to assess anti-Maoist operations, making it his first outstation visit within 48 hours of taking charge of India’s largest paramilitary force.
The visit to Bijapur, which has emerged as a recent hotspot in such operations, underscores the force’s focus on meeting the government’s deadline of neutralising the threat from the Maoist insurgency within 14 months. Police data shows that of the 55 Naxals killed since January 1, 2025, 25 were eliminated in Bijapur district alone.
“A review meeting was held with IG of Bastar Range and CRPF officers on Saturday. This visit within three days of taking charge signals the priority of the force,” said a CRPF officer who requested anonymity. “He has also visited the camps from where operations are being launched to weed out the remaining armed cadres.”
Even as Singh conducted his review meeting on Saturday afternoon, a gunfight erupted in Bijapur’s Gangaloor forest between Maoists and joint teams of state police, CRPF’s 222 battalion and 202 Cobra. Eight Naxals were killed in the operation, including 24-year-old Kamlesh Neelkant, the ACM of Western Bastar Division, Gangloor Area Committee.
Singh, who previously served as Director General of Assam Police until Tuesday, is likely to visit Manipur next weekend. Both regions, along with Jammu and Kashmir, host significant CRPF deployments. In Manipur, the force faces new challenges as violence from armed groups in Myanmar spills across the border.
On Sunday, Singh inspected two forward operating bases - Tekalgudem and Silger in Sukma - both established in former Naxal strongholds. Officials briefed him on “the current situation, the modus operandi of the Naxal groups, and the counter-Naxal operandi adopted by forces on the ground,” showing him recovered equipment including drones, radio devices, and under barrel grenade launchers.
Currently, nearly 40,000 CRPF personnel are deployed across Chhattisgarh, working alongside state police forces. Police records indicate approximately 600 “full-time armed Naxal cadres” remain in the jungle areas.
The government’s deadline to eliminate Naxal violence by March 31, 2026, has intensified security operations. In 2024, forces eliminated 250 Maoists, arrested 812, and saw 723 surrenders. However, the conflict has taken its toll: Maoists killed 17 security personnel and 60 civilians in 2024. This year has already seen nine security personnel deaths, with two Chhattisgarh police jawans wounded in Saturday’s encounter.
