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Apart from a revised anti-naxal policy, an operational overhaul of the security forces is the need of the hour

- Namrata Biji Ahuja

Come monsoon and Dandakaranya, the biggest naxal den in India, will be swept in rain and slush, hampering movement of the rebels who seek refuge in its dense forests. Soon, they will be forced to lie low and live incognito in villages. That’s one reason why the CPI(Maoist) carries out its Tactical Counter Offensive Campaign (TCOC) between March and June, striking security forces in huge numbers. Maoists have carried out largely successful TCOCs over the past several summers—Dantewada in April 2010, Darbha valley in May 2013, Bhejji area in south Bastar in March 2017 (all in Chhattisgarh).

The April 24 attack that killed 25 Central Reserve Police Force personnel at Kala Pathar near Chintagufa in Sukma district of Chhattisgarh was another such tactical exercise—a bloody and brazen message to the Narendra Modi government that Maoist terror was nowhere close to elimination. A day later, as wreaths were being laid on the martyrs in Raipur after Indian Air Force choppers worked overnight to move the bodies, Home Minister Rajnath Singh looked visibly pensive. He returned to Delhi with one resolve: Dandakaranya— what Maoists call the liberated zone—requires a special anti-naxal grid formation. Its aim will be to flush out Maoists from the worst-affected districts and ensure minimum casualties of security forces.