Naxal stronghold formed in Amarkantak demolished under military operations:Forces cut off essential supplies forcing 42 rebels to surrender under 42 days

March 31, 2026… the deadline for the end of Naxalites, but before this date, Amarkantak in Madhya Pradesh was moving towards a major threat. Under pressure from Abujhmad in Chhattisgarh, Naxalites were preparing to establish their new national headquarters here and were rapidly strengthening their hold in the forests. In 2016 itself, the Central Committee had chosen Amarkantak as a potential base, the effect of which was now becoming visible on the ground. The movement was growing, the network was expanding. Suddenly the situation changed. Military operations intensified, pressure increased and the result – continuous surrenders. The question remains why the rebels who were fighting for power with guns suddenly became forced to surrender? To find the answer to this, we spoke with officials involved in anti-Naxal operations. Some off the record and some on camera. Understand in 5 points why Naxalites were forced to surrender 1. Naxalites desperate for food, money also didn’t help For the first time, police and administration got direct access to the 72 most affected villages. Collector Mrinal Meena and SP Aditya Mishra themselves visited the villages and interacted with people. Villagers took a collective pledge that they would neither provide food nor any kind of help to the Naxalites. This had a direct impact as Naxalites stopped receiving supplies from villages. The situation became such that despite having lakhs of rupees, they were unable to gather even rations. Police also recovered ₹11.50 lakh hidden in the jungle from Naxal commander Deepak, but this amount also could not be of any use to them. 2. Camps on movement routes, new strategy for search operations Security forces established base camps of Police, CRPF, COBRA and Hawk Force on important routes used by Naxals for movement. This made it difficult for Naxals to move from one place to another. Making a major change in strategy, the duration of search operations was increased from 48 hours to 7 days. Now security forces would remain stationed in the jungle for several consecutive days on any input, maintaining continuous pressure on the Naxals. 3. Pressure increased from Mega CASO Operation In 2025, 10 Naxalites were killed, which created an atmosphere of fear in the organization. During this time, a new strategy of ‘Mega CASO’ (Cordon and Search Operation) was implemented. Throughout the year, 44 major operations were conducted, involving 700 to 1200 jawans and lasting 2 to 7 days. Jawans would enter the forest carrying a week’s worth of rations. Under interstate operations, joint action by Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh and Maharashtra police also blocked escape routes for Naxalites. 4. Stopped funding to Naxalites Police made major changes in the tendu leaf business to crack down on Naxalite funding. To prevent extortion from contractors, collection centers were insured and cash transactions were stopped.
Payments started going directly to accounts. This model was also implemented in other construction works, which weakened the economic backbone of Naxalites. 5. Increased surrenders after crackdown on supporters Police identified 145 Naxalite supporters. Many were charged and sent to jail, while others were released with strict warnings. The impact of this strictness was clear. Between November 1 and December 12, 2025, within just 42 days, 42 Naxalites surrendered, which was considered a major success of the campaign. Winning People’s Trust Was the Biggest Challenge The real turning point in the anti-Naxal campaign came when the administration gained the trust of common people in the forest. As soon as villagers understood that Naxalites were the biggest obstacle in the development of roads and schools in their villages, their perspective began to change. In the presence of the SP and Collector, villagers openly pledged neither to support nor shelter Naxalites. This marked the beginning of the countdown for red terror. In 2025, 360 kilometers of roads were constructed in Naxal-affected areas. 72 new mobile towers were installed, which connected remote villages to the network. The administration made people’s work easier through the single window system. Camps were set up in every village for revenue-related name changes and certificates, while residence and income certificates started being issued from police stations. Employment for Youth in Multinational Companies For unemployed youth in the region, the administration created a digital registry and developed a clear blueprint based on their qualifications. Under this, various multinational companies including automobile and electronics are being invited to Balaghat. Youth are given training first. After this, they are being provided jobs with salaries ranging from 15 to 25 thousand rupees. Last year around 2500 youth got employment, while this year it is claimed that approximately 4000 youth will get jobs. 280 Schools Transformed Without Government Aid SP Aditya Mishra said, “Education is at the root of the Naxal problem. We started the Vidyanjali campaign to improve primary education. In this, common people adopted government schools. Police personnel painted the schools. Schools were renovated”. He added, “₹8 crore were raised without government help. People voluntarily adopted schools. The administration deployed teachers here”. He further said, “My grandfather late Surendranath Dubey told me that if you want to change, change primary education. My grandfather had also adopted two schools. After this, the people of Balaghat made it a public movement and now the results are in front of everyone”.