RAIPUR: Once synonymous with the rise of Maoist insurgency, Bastar, along with Kondagaon, have been removed from the list of Left Wing Extremism (LWE)-affected districts by Union home ministry, marking a turning point in Chhattisgarh’s mission against Naxalism.This comes a week after Maoist general secretary Basavaraju was gunned down, along with 27 other Maoists, in neighbouring Narayanpur district. Bastar had been on the LWE-affected districts’ list for at least 25 years. Bastar and Kondagaon have now been sub-categorised as ‘districts of legacy and thrust’, which means Maoist activities have come down to a great extent. Bastar range IG P Sundarraj told TOI, “Kondagaon and Bastar are among 30 districts across the country now brought under ‘districts of legacy and thrust’ category. This removes them from the category of LWE-affected regions but they need development and vigilance on the operational front.“Other districts of Bastar division – Sukma, Bijapur, Narayanpur and Kanker – are still categorised as ‘most affected LWE districts’ while Dantewada features among ‘other LWE districts’.Dhamtari, Kabirdham, Khairagarh-Chhuikhadan-Gandai and Rajnandgaon have also been sub-categorised under ‘legacy and thrust districts’. Bastar and Kondagaon were once counted among the hotbeds of Maoist insurgency, but incidents of violence have dropped significantly in recent years. The lone encounter in Kondagaon in nearly five years was on April 16 when two senior Maoist commanders were gunned down.Both districts saw good voting in the 2023 assembly polls – Bastar 84.6% and Kondagaon 81.7%.In the recent notification issued by MHA, 18 districts in the country are identified as ‘LWE-affected’, ‘other LWE-affected’ or ‘districts of concern’, including six in Chhattisgarh.“Due to effective anti-Naxal operations in recent months, we have seen remarkably positive outcomes in the LWE scenario in Bastar Range. Categorisation of Kondagaon and Bastar as ‘districts of legacy’ is a significant step closer to being ‘Maoist-free’. All our efforts would now be focused on ensuring that Naxal menace is totally eliminated in Bastar Range,” Sundarraj said.
