The Collective’s latest report looks deeply into the anti-Maoist operation in Karregutta Hills, a forested region in Chhattisgarh. The Karregutta operation was touted as the largest anti-Maoist operation in recent history by the government rushing to crush Leftist insurgency by March next year.
Here, forest dwellers find themselves caught in a brutal conflict— an all-out clash between security forces and Maoist insurgents.
But at the heart of the story is a costly misfire. The report spotlights the fact that at the end of the 21-day crackdown that was meant to deliver a decisive blow to insurgency leadership, the state had very little to display for its show of force. No senior Maoist leaders were captured or killed despite the offensive reportedly aiming at neutralising senior members of the Maoist central committee allegedly taking shelter in the Karregutta range.
Details of insurgents killed showed that most were under 35, some clearly younger than 20.
The report also brings to light how the internal war hides the disproportionately high human cost borne by adivasi communities caught in the crossfire between Maoist insurgents and Indian security forces.
Though the two sides claim to represent the interests of the adivasi people, neither appears to offer protection. The result is a population navigating survival in a forest that has literally become a minefield. Several villagers now live with amputated limbs, injuries, and lifelong trauma.
The Karregutta operation opened the door for disinformation, body count claims, and political speculation. The operation exposed a security doctrine that’s gaining currency in India: the more hidden a war, the more easily it can be declared won.
Read the report by Malini Subramaniam: The Claims, the Truth and the Body Bags of Karregutta Op
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