Earlier this month, at the Sukma-Bijapur border of Chhattisgarh – the hub of Naxalism, 22 brave personnel of the paramilitary forces were martyred and 31 sustained injuries in a gruesome Naxal attack. On the Naxal side, 15 of the domestic terrorists were killed and 20 were injured, according to reports. The incident shook the conscience of the nation, and people across the country began demanding a jaw-breaking response to be given to the Naxals for their attack on the Indian state. Now, that response seems to be getting initiated by the Union Home Ministry, as it starts hunting down Naxals in their very hub of Dantewada.
The Dantewada District Reserve Guard killed a Naxal leader carrying a reward of Rs. 1 lakh on his head. The Naxal was killed in a fire exchange with the DDRG in the forest area between Gaadam and Jungampal villages on Sunday. “After the exchange of fire stopped, the body of ultra VettiHunga was recovered from the spot, located around 400 km away from capital Raipur. An 8 mm pistol, a country-made muzzleloading gun, a 2-kg Improvised Explosive Device (IED), Maoist bags, literature and medicines were recovered from the encounter site,” P Sundarraj, IG Bastar said. Hunga was a “militia commander” of the outlawed Maoist movement.
The Week reported that Hunga was in a high position in the Katekalyan area committee of the Communist Party of India (Maoist). Evidently, the gunning down of Hunga sets the tone for the unprecedented offensive that is about to follow, which will rest assured, result in Naxals and their patrons being wiped out of India.
Meanwhile, Gadchiroli Police arrested a Naxal who was in hiding after getting injured in an encounter on March 29, according to the Maharashtra Police. This Naxal was carrying a bounty of Rs. 16 lakhs over his head. “The encounter, in which five Naxals were killed, took place at Khobramendha village in Maharashtra’s Gadchiroli, and information had been received that many injured Naxals were left behind,” the SP said, “Working on the information, on April 6, Kishore Kawdo was found at Kathezari village where he was hiding.”
If the latest developments are anything to go by, the Naxals are in for quite a big surprise. The killing of over 22 paramilitary personnel has only preponed the inevitable offensive which has been in the works against Naxals for quite some time now. The hunting down of top Naxal leaders must serve as a reminder to all that picking guns against the Indian state will do anyone no good, other than shortening their lifespan.