RAIPUR: For decades, the dense forests of Sukma district in south Chhattisgarh echoed only with the unyielding diktats of Left-Wing Extremism.
Villagers in these remote pockets grew up in the crosshairs of conflict, alienated from the state and navigating a deep-seated climate of fear. Today, that narrative is shifting across Bastar’s rugged terrain through an ambitious grassroots outreach campaign - ‘Niva Duwad Te’ (in local Gondi dialect, meaning At Your Doorstep) in Sukma, about 420 km south of Raipur.
Spearheaded by Sukma Superintendent of Police Mayank Gurjar, the initiative is redefining the role of law enforcement in former conflict zones. Instead of waiting for villagers to navigate distant administrative corridors, senior police officers are trekking through swollen monsoon streams, thick jungles, and difficult terrain to sit directly with communities to strengthen engagement with people living in remote and interior areas of the district.
Large parts of Bastar, including Sukma, remained under the shadow of left-wing extremism that waged a war against the state and the forces. After the elimination of armed Maoists in the Bastar region, the Sukma police now simultaneously assess the ground situation, public demand, and operational and development requirements, the officer said.
The initiative bridges a long-existing trust deficit through three key pillars. Police officers translate government welfare schemes into local dialects, explaining the tangible mechanisms of development to populations long isolated from official systems. Police teams deliver basic necessities on-site while actively listening to grassroots concerns, resolving everyday friction points on the spot. Thirdly, by establishing the police force as an approachable, protective presence rather than a distant authority, the campaign counters the imbibed Maoist radicalisation, exposing the “hollow, anti-development ideology” and creating the safe environment required for lasting infrastructure and welfare projects to take root.
As officers sit side-by-side with tribal elders, women and youth, the dynamic in Sukma is evolving from mutual suspicion to genuine partnership. By turning traditional security operations into a direct dialogue of empathy and civic inclusion, ‘Niva Duwad Te’ is steadily transforming one of the most difficult regions—one doorstep at a time.