Bijapur (Chhattisgarh) [India], May 24 (HBTV): In a determined effort to eliminate Naxalism by March 26, 2026, security forces carried out their largest operation to date — Operation Black Forest — near Karreguttalu Hill (KGH) at the Chhattisgarh-Telangana border. The 21-day joint operation, conducted by the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) and state police from April 21 to May 11, resulted in the neutralisation of 31 Naxals carrying a total bounty of INR 1.72 crore.
The Ghalgam Forward Operating Base (FOB), established in 2022 near KGH, played a pivotal role in the success of the operation by providing a strategic vantage point to disrupt Naxal activities.
Officers involved in the operation told ANI that the Ghalgam FOB served as the ground command centre from where communication and intelligence were coordinated.
Commandant of the 199 Battalion CRPF, Anand, stated that the operation forced Naxals out of their traditional "safe havens" into mountainous terrain, and the objective was to prevent the emergence of new hideouts.
‘Union Home Minister Amit Shah has set a deadline of March 26, 2026, to eliminate Naxalism. In view of that, campaigns are being held back-to-back here. As a result, they (Naxals) have left their earlier safe havens and moved into this mountain area. This operation ensured that this too doesn't become another safe haven for them,’ he said.
Kumar Manish, Commandant of the 196 Battalion CRPF, told ANI that the operation was crucial to dismantling the Maoist cadre in South Bastar and other Naxal formations.
‘In recent months, Maoist cadres of South Bastar, along with Naxals from PLGA-1, the Telangana State Committee (TSC), and the Central Regional Committee (CRC), had taken shelter here and were conducting operations. That’s why it was necessary to carry out this 21-day operation,’ he said.
He also stressed the importance of building trust with locals to break the Naxals' influence.
‘We connected the local population with the security camps and helped them access government welfare schemes. By earning their trust, we succeeded in weakening the Naxals’ local networks,’ he added.
As part of the operation, security forces implemented a grid-based security strategy, isolating key Naxal cadres who managed to flee.
In total, 214 Naxal hideouts and bunkers were destroyed. The forces recovered 450 improvised explosive devices (IEDs), 818 BGL shells, 899 bundles of codex wire, detonators, and a large quantity of explosive material. Additionally, around 12,000 kilograms of food supplies were seized during the operation.
(ANI)