Maharashtra Nears End of Maoist Era as Gadchiroli Marks Historic Milestone Nagpur: Maharashtra is on the cusp of a historic milestone, poised to become free of Maoists, as Gadchiroli — once the epicentre of Left-wing extremism in central India — has recorded no major insurgency since February 2026. The state has seen a total of 794 Maoists surrender under the surrender and rehabilitation policy, with 2025 marking a landmark year that saw a record 112 surrenders. The most high-profile among them was on October 15, 2025, when senior Maoist leader Mallojula Venugopal, alias Bhupati, a member of the Maoist politburo, laid down arms along with 61 associates and 54 weapons in the presence of Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis. This single event significantly weakened the organisational backbone of Maoists in the region. Since the beginning of last year, Gadchiroli alone has seen 123 hardened Maoist surrenders, including a recent batch of 11 senior cadres with a collective bounty of ₹68 lakh, comprising divisional committee members and commanders, who gave up arms in March 2026. Gondia district has already been declared free of Maoists. Gadchiroli Superintendent of Police Neelotpal expressed confidence that the district and the state are well on track to meet the Centre’s target of ending Maoist insurgency across the country by March 31. “Since February, we have not recorded any significant Maoist movements in Gadchiroli villages. Only six cadres remain on our radar — five from neighbouring Chhattisgarh and one local from Gadchiroli — currently confined to the Abujmarh along the inter-state border,” SP Neelotpal said. The transformation in Gadchiroli has been dramatic and swift. Till January 1, 2024, the entire district was classified Maoist-hit on police records.#maharashtra #devendra_fadnavis #gadchiroli #neelotpal #mallojula_venugopal
