As the assembly elections are right around the corner in Chhattisgarh and Telangana, security forces are intensifying efforts in Abujmarh, a Maoist-controlled region. According to officials cited by CNN-News18, there are plans to establish five new camps in the coming months. Notably, one of these camps is set to be located in the Wange Turi area of Gadchiroli district, Maharashtra. This camp would operate as a joint task force involving the Maharashtra police, Chhattisgarh police, and the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF). A CRPF official mentioned that they aim to make this camp operational by October, soon after the monsoon season.
The establishment of a camp in Wange Turi holds multiple advantages for security forces. It would enhance their operational capacity within Abujmarh and, more importantly, disrupt the arms production facility operated by the Communist Party of India (Maoist) in the area. A previous operation by Gadchiroli police in 2021 revealed the Naxals’ manufacturing of weapons, including LMGs, pipes, guns, and sophisticated IEDs, at the Wange Turi factory. Additionally, the presence of a joint task force, including Maharashtra’s specialized commando unit C60, is expected to exert psychological pressure on the Maoist cadre, as explained by a security grid officer.
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The Wange Turi camp is likely to house around 700-800 troops initially, comprising personnel from Chhattisgarh and Maharashtra police, along with the CoBRA force of CRPF. Another camp in Sukma is also in the works ahead of the elections. The proposed campsite lies between Tondamarka and Kottapalli, an area that witnessed a significant anti-Naxal operation by CRPF in 2017. The region, located deep within Chintagufa, is historically a Naxal stronghold. The new camp’s strategic placement along the Chintalnar-Kistaram state highway is expected to bolster security forces’ control over the area and facilitate operations.
Chhattisgarh has experienced Maoist attacks targeting politicians and parties during election periods. In 2019, BJP MLA Bhina Mandavi was assassinated just four days before the general elections in Bastar. An earlier attack in 2013 wiped out the Congress’s Chhattisgarh leadership, resulting in the deaths of Mahendra Karma, VC Shukla, and Nand Kumar Patel as they returned from a campaign in Jeeram Ghati.
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