Operation Black Forest was a massive determined 21 days long operation launched in Karreguttalu Hills located on the borders of Chhattisgarh and Telangana States. The terrain is hilly and covered with thick forest. There are groves, caves and dens, which give good concealment and overhead cover. Indravati River flows through the Karreguttalu forest ensuring a continuous sweet water supply to locals and the Naxal Camps.
Intelligence reports confirmed the presence of about 100 to 120 Naxalites in the area, including the top leaders of the People Liberation Guerilla Army (PLGA) No 1 Battalion. Operation Black Forest was launched on April 21, 2025, first light and terminated on May 11, 2025. Troops from CRPF Cobra battalions, Special Task Force of State Police of both states and District Reserve Guards were involved in the operation. The total strength of the Security Forces was about 10,000 troops.
A flight of MI-17 Helicopters was also made available for the movement of troops, logistics, and casualty evacuation. The area was large about 60 km long and 20 km wide. The weather was extreme summer conditions. The temperature at the time was almost 40 degrees Celsius with high humidity. Director General CRPF Gyandera Pratap Singh was monitoring the operation constantly and with DG Chhattisgarh police Arun Juneja. Strike force initially established Forward Operating Bases, a firm base with adequate reserves and launched Search and Destroy missions. The insurgents divided them into smaller groups and dispersed as they got information from overground workers. Security forces also followed them in Strong Teams and engaged them. About 33 hideouts were located and destroyed. It is estimated that the fatalities of Naxals were about 40 cadres, including 15 women cadres; 31 bodies have been recovered so far, and the search for others is in progress.
Large quantities of weapons, explosives, rations, and war-like stores have been recovered. There were 450 various types of IEDs found stored ready to use against SFs. Some SFs were also injured but evacuated in time. The most tragic loss was of K9 Belgian Malinois, a trekker and sniffer dog ’Rolo’ of 229 Battalion, who was martyred while participating in the operation and saving troops from a Honeybee attack triggered by IED planted by Maoists.
DG CRPF has conveyed that Left Wing Extremism will be eliminated a few months earlier than the March 31, 2026, deadline given by the Indian Government. The Security Forces have achieved wonderful results in the fight against Left Wing Red Terrorism. In 2024, 296 armed Maoists were killed in various operations, 24 SF personnel also made supreme sacrifices, and 928 Maoists surrendered and joined the mainstream. The operations were intensified in 2025 and 232 Maoists have been neutralised and 718 Naxal cadres have surrendered so far.
Anti-Naxal operations are underway in Odisha, Maharashtra, Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, Bihar, and Telangana, as part of a multi-front offensive. The morale of troops is high and they are conditioned and fully motivated. The main aim is to make top leaders surrender or they will be eliminated shortly.
On May 21-22, 2025, in a prolonged encounter, Security Forces killed 27 Maoists in the Lekawada forest near Boter Village, Narayanpur Tehsil, in Chhattisgarh. CPI (Maoist) chief Nambala Keshav Rao @ Basvaraju, mastermind of some of the deadliest attacks, was killed in a fierce encounter with District Reserve Group (DRG special team) based on reliable intelligence input; 26 more hardcore cadres accompanying him were also killed. Basvaraju was the founder member of CPI (Maoist) since the merger of MCC and PWG in 2004. He was born in Srianakulam district in Andhra Pradesh in 1955 and has a B Tech degree from Regional Engineering College, Warangal. He was 70 years old and a think tank. He was part of decision-making bodies, Politburo, Maoist Central Committee, and head of Central Military Commission. He had a bounty of Rs 10 crore by NIA. He was the mastermind of the IED blast on CM Chandrababu Naidu’s motorcade, the ambush on a CRPF convoy in 2010 killing 75 troops, and the ambush claiming 25 lives including top Congress leaders in 2013. Home Minister Amit Shah named him as the backbone of the Naxal movement. A major success for Security Forces. His elimination is the last nail in the coffin of Naxalism.
The situation has drastically changed since 2024; Security Forces have now geared up for a full-scale offensive. On May 23, Jharkhand Police eliminated two top commanders (Pappu Lohra and Prahbhat Ganjhu) of the banned Jharkhand Jan Mukti Parishad, an offshoot of CPI (Maoist), at Ichabar forest and Assam Police nabbed a top ULFA (I) leader SS Brigadier Rupam Asom from Lekhapani forest in Tirap Region Assam.
The situation from 2010 to 2022 was alarming. Security forces suffered heavy casualties Operation Prahar was launched on April 3, 2021, at 0530h in a thick jungle area between Bijapur and Sukma village led by special Cobra unit [commando battalion (cdo bn) for resolute action], Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) Bastaria bn, along with Special Task Force (STF) and District Reserve Guard (DRG) of Chhattisgarh state police. The force of approx 2000 troops, subdivided into five columns of 400 each, launched a search and destroy mission from five launch pads namely Tarren, Usroor, Pamed, Minpa, and Narsapuram to destroy underground camps of No 1 battalion (PLGA) led by Maoist Commander (cdr) Madvi Hidma.
Nearly 10,000 troops from CRPF Cobra battalions, Special Task Force of Chhattisgarh and Telangana police, and District Reserve Guards were involved in the operation. Some SF personnel were injured but evacuated in time. The most tragic loss was of K9 Belgian Malinois, a trekker and sniffer dog ’Rolo’ of 229 Battalion, who was martyred while saving troops from a Honeybee attack triggered by an IED planted by Maoists
At 1200 h afternoon, as leading scouts of Terren column were approaching Village Tekulguda, they were fired upon from three sides. The troops fired back but heavy automatic fire and mortar bombs rained on them. They were trapped in the killing ground. Those who rushed for cover in nearby huts were attacked by a reserve party who stabbed them and cut off their limbs. The command and control were lost.
Approximately 300 to 400 Naxals were fighting the battle who knew the terrain and were seasoned in jungle warfare. The stunned column commander asked for reinforcement. The ambush lasted for 2 h after which Naxalites withdrew and snatched away seven AK 47 Rifles, two 5.56mm INSAS Rifles, and one Light Machine Gun (LMG); 23 security forces troops were killed ruthlessly, one was missing, and 33 men were severely injured with gunshot and axe wounds.
On April 4, at dawn, the intensive search was carried out by a reinforced rescue team, and the dead/wounded were collected at an ad-hoc helipad near Village Tekalguda and evacuated by three IAF MI 17 helicopters to Raipur/Jagdalpur civil hospitals. The Naxalites also suffered some casualties. It was one of the deadliest ambushes in the Bastar region after the Dantewada ambush of April 6, 2010, in which 76 CRPF personnel were martyred.
History of Naxalism
Naxalism, a militant extreme leftist organisation, originated in 1967 when poor and harassed peasants revolted against the atrocities of rich landlords in the village Naxalbari located in the Siliguri subdivision of Darjeeling district in West Bengal. The Communist Party of India (CPI) came into existence in 1926 and was split into two factions in 1964. CPI (pro-Chinese) and CPM (Marxist) pro-Soviet Union and two years later in 1966 another split gave birth to a pro-Mao new faction CPML (Marxist Leninist). Subsequently, the Naxal movement spread to less developed rural areas under Dandakaraynya thick forest green eastern coastal belt covering Nepal, Bengal, Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh, UP, Madhya Pradesh, Odisha, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu and GadchaIroli district in Maharashtra through the covert activities CPI (Maoist group). Some Naxal groups have registered legal status that is CPI (Marxist Leninist) Liberation and CPI Jan Shakti. The Naxalism has spread its wings in 108 districts across 11 states.
Charu Mazumdar was the chief architect and Kanu Sanyal and Jangal Sanyal were the chief field commanders of the violent peasant Naxal movement. Charu was the first urban Naxal who was deeply influenced by Mao Zedong of Red China who initiated the Red Revolution and toppled the Nationalist govt of Chiang Kai Shek in 1949. On May 18, 1967, Siliguri Kissan Sabha led by Jangal Sanyal declared support for armed struggle as suggested by Charu and Kanu Sanyal. There was a dispute between landlords and tenants on May 20. The police party, which came to arrest tenants on complaint of landlords, was ambushed and hacked to death. Charu Majumdar’s famous work Historic Eight documents based on the teachings of Marx, Lenin and Mao formed the bible for Naxalism. He advocated revolt against upper-class landlords, govt officials, police, and traders who exploited the poor and through people court, culprits to be punished as per tribal laws. Police informers were executed in public and ambushes were laid against security forces. Later, the Maoist communist centre was formed, which later gave birth to the People War Group. CPM joined Congress to form a coalition state govt and it gave a jolt to the movement, in 1971, Satyanarayan Singh revolted against Charu in 1972. The same year Charu was arrested by Police and during interrogation he died in Alipore jail. The movement was fragmented to a great extent but continued.
Anti-Naxal operations are underway in Odisha, Maharashtra, Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, Bihar, and Telangana, as part of a multi-front offensive. The morale of troops is high and they are conditioned and fully motivated. The main aim is to make top leaders surrender or they will be eliminated soon. Home Minister Amit Shah has declared that the Red Corridor will be frozen forever by March 31, 2026
In July 1971, a low-key, joint anti-insurgency operation by the Army, para-military forces, and police was launched against Naxalites in the Red Corridor. Hundreds of insurgents were killed and about 20,000 including top leaders were imprisoned. The operation was not disclosed to the media. The op was prematurely terminated as war clouds were on the horizon and the Indian military was fully mobilised for the Bangladesh Liberation War.
Meanwhile, the Naxal movement, which was suppressed for two decades, resurfaced again. Yet another massive operation ‘Green Hunt’ was launched in September 2009 as an all-out offensive against insurgents. About 2 Lakh troops belonging to CRPF, Indian reserve battalions, Naga police bn, and State Police of different states were deployed. Greyhounds and a flight of MI 17 helicopters were also dedicated. The Maoists suffered 1600 cadres killed and 3000 apprehended. Security forces also incurred a loss of 450 troops till 2014.
Maoist response to Op Green Hunt was deadly. On February 15, 2010, a SF camp was raided in West Bengal in which 25 policemen were killed. On April 6, 76 CRPF personnel were ambushed in Dantewada, on May 17, a bus was blown in an IED blast on the Sukma-Dantewada road in which 35 personnel were killed, on June 29, 15 police personnel were hacked at Sukma.
A major untoward incident took place on May 25, 2013, when an Indian National Congress rally was attacked in Sukma in Bastar in which 29 people were killed, including senior leaders Mahendra Karma, Nand Kumar and former CM Vidhya Charan Shukla.
On December 1, 2014, 14 CRPF personnel were ambushed in Sukma, on March 11, 2017, 15 CRPF troops were ruthlessly killed in the Bastar region and on April 24, again 25 CRP personnel were gunned down near Kala Pather in Sukma district. In 2018, a mine-protected vehicle was blown by a land mine killing all crew. SF killed 37 Naxals on March 22 in retaliatory action. In 2019, 15 SF commandos were ambushed at Gadchiroli. The year 2020 remained incident-free.
On March 23, 2021, again Maoists blew up a bus carrying District Reserve Guards with an IED killing five and severely injuring 13 police personnel in the Narayanpur district of Chhattisgarh, and the latest in the list is an ambush on April 3, 2021, at village Talukguda. PLGA is still striking terror in the Dandakaryna corridor.
Red Corridor Began Thinning in 2011
The Red Corridor in 1990 extended from Nepal, West Bengal to Kerala covering 108 districts across 11 eastern, south-eastern and southern Indian states. It was called Tirupati to Pashupati liberated zone. In 2009, the Central government undertook an integrated action plan (IAP) with two objectives: First, economic development at the grassroots level to generate goodwill, and Second, combat insurgency in a coordinated way incorporating all central and state govt forces and intelligence agencies.
Accordingly, due to coordinated efforts, the Red Corridor started thinning and in 2011, the affected districts were reduced to 83, and UP and Karnataka were removed from the list. The present status is that Naxalites operate in 60 districts of 8 States ie West Bengal 8, Jharkhand 14, Bihar 5, Chhattisgarh 10, Andhra 8, MP 8, Odisha 5, and Maharashtra 2 districts. Chhattisgarh remains the epicentre of the conflict between Maoists and SFs.
The present corridor has shrunk to only 18 districts only, Red Corridor especially West Bengal, Jharkhand, and Chhattisgarh is rich in minerals. Coal is in abundance There are a number of big multinationals operating in this area. Heavy extortion in the name of the protection and safety of man, material, and vehicles is the order of the day. It has been estimated the insurgents extort Rs 14 billion per year in the corridor from corporate and rich landlords. Food grains are purchased from locals to maintain a Robin Hood-type image. Police/SF informers are executed ruthlessly. Molestation is not permitted for cadres. Public courts are held by local commanders and immediate justice is delivered. The Maoist intelligence network is excellent and the strength and movements of SFs are immediately reported. Fear is key to controlling the poor peasantry.
The causes of heavy casualties of Security Forces in the past are many, firstly CAPF troops were not well oriented for counter-insurgency ops, faulty higher planning, motivation and training of junior leaders and troops, lethargy in ranks, delay in move of reserves, lack of coordination in various forces and agencies. There was total intelligence failure as the movement of 300 Naxals could not be detected. The troops are more vulnerable when travelling in buses/vehicles in CI ops. A good leader can turn the tables.
After carrying out an analysis of past incidents, a macro-level multi-prong strategy has been planned to neutralise the fear syndrome created by Maoists. The infrastructure development has been completed in rapid mode. The peasants have been given ownership of land through fast land reforms. Economic development till the grassroots level has been restored. Schools and hospitals are being established in fast mode with local teachers. Cooperative banks, post offices, and E Mitra kiosks have been opened at least till the block level. Open offers to Insurgents to join the mainstream by recruiting them in police/PMF have been announced. There is now a strong local intelligence network based on surrendered/ apprehended cadres, Salwa Judam has been banned by the Supreme Court.
India has a new breed of pseudo-intellectual and social activists coined as Urban Naxals, who operate under the veil and are like termites, more dangerous than rural Naxals. They are under watch.
In the Maoist areas, heavy extortion in the name of the protection and safety of man, material, and vehicles is the order of the day. It has been estimated the insurgents extort Rs 14 billion per year from corporate and landlords. Food grains are purchased from locals to maintain a Robin Hood-type image. Informers are executed ruthlessly in public courts held by local commanders in which immediate justice is delivered
SFs achieved wonderful success in 2024 under a new integrated approach. On October 3, 2024, in one of the biggest encounters, 38 Maoists were killed including top leadership, and a large amount of weapons and ammunition, were recovered. In another operation on the trijunction of Chhattisgarh, Telangana and Andhra Pradesh in Sukma forest on November 22, another 11 Maoists were eliminated. Madkam Masa Cdr of south Bastar division and his junior CDRs Lakhma Madvi, Doodhi Humgi, Madkam Jeetu, Kosi and Kovasi were shot by SFs. Bastar Range IGP Sunderajan disclosed that during this year, SFs’ proactive approach resulted in 207 Maoist fatalities, while 787 were arrested and 789 surrendered to join the mainstream.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi congratulated Security Forces operating in Operation Black Forest for their success, valour and dedication. Home Minister Amit Shah declared that the Red Corridor will be frozen forever by March 31, 2026. A new dawn of hope, peace and prosperity can be seen on the horizon. Security Forces should not lower their guard and remain on high alert for any retaliation.
-The writer is an Indian Army veteran and a defence analyst. He has keen interest in Geo-strategic affairs and writes regularly on internal and external affairs issues related to India and neighbours. The views expressed are personal and do not necessarily reflect the views of Raksha Anirveda
