C’garh’s new doctrine of precision, patience, and infra to crush LWE

 

 

 

 

Chhattisgarh’s fight against Left-Wing Extremism (LWE) is undergoing a decisive shift, replacing indiscriminate fire with clinical precision. The anti-LWE grid has adopted new doctrine, embedding tactical corrections directly into field units. The shift is summarised in unambiguous new rules of engagement; Forces must abandon reflexive heavy firing on first contact. They are now instructed to seize the high ground, meticulously set the kill zone, hold fire until the cadres are within striking range, and ensure seamless inter-team coordination to eliminate the devastating risk of crossfire. The Gariaband operation on September 11, killing Central Committee member Manoj alias Modem Balakrishna and nine others, validates intelligence-led strategy. Success came from analysing dump recoveries and questioning surrendered cadres.

 

Though 23 escaped, subsequent surrenders confirm the intelligence cycle is tightening, proving patience over pyrotechnics. This entire account is drawn from a confidential dossier of the Chhattisgarh Police-exclusively accessed by ‘The Hitavada’-which lays bare how field corrections are being codified and enforced. During the week under review, three firefights resulted in three insurgent fatalities and seventeen arrests. Significant seizures included an AK-47, an INSAS rifle, a BGL, six IEDs, and various explosives/detonators. Furthermore, seventy-one cadres surrendered, indicating mounting pressure. Strategic focus is on four high-priority sectors: Maad, the National Park axis, north-of-Indravati, and the Kanker-Narayanpur seam, where forces are working to compress transit corridors. Ten new camps are already operational despite the monsoon, with the Belnar-Pidiya axis and the Golapalli-Kistaram arc flagged for immediate expansion.

 

The Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF), Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) and Border Security Force (BSF) are tasked with reinforcing these zones while parallel road and bridge works push forward under Special Central Assistance (SCA) projects. The prosecutorial arm is being interlaced early. Narayanpur’s pending Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA) cases are to be expedited with National Investigation Agency (NIA) support, while all districts have been ordered to categorise surrendering cadres, monitor them, and employ them lawfully as guides or IED de-riggers. Minors are explicitly barred from surrender incentives. Operational leaks are described as a ‘serious risk factor’, with discreet surveillance of suspected nodes already under way. Outside the southern belts, early-warning orders focus on Mahasamund’s Patarapali seam, Sahajpani sightings, and Kabirdham’s Jhalmala-Rengakhar rim, where alerts from Madhya Pradesh indicate splinter presence near Kanha. These are described as ‘revival corridors’ that require rapid verification.

 

The campaign’s success hinges on an ‘economy of violence’ strategy, fundamentally supported by infrastructure development. A major push is under way to eliminate telecom dead zones by rapidly deploying mobile towers after clearing service provider issues. Critically, new Special Central Assistance (SCA) road projects are being directly linked to the establishment of new operational camps, ensuring that logistics never impede ground operations. Commanders are clear on the objective: deny the insurgency both time and terrain through these combined kinetic and development efforts. (To be Continued…)