NEW DELHI: Despite the government declaring the country free of Naxal influence, security officials have warned that the Bastar region still faces a serious threat from a vast network of hidden explosives buried in its dense forests and hilly terrain.
The scale of the danger was underscored during recent de-mining operations in Chhattisgarh’s Kanker and Narayanpur districts, where four security personnel were killed in an improvised explosive device (IED) blast while attempting to defuse it.
Security experts said Maoist groups had, over the years, turned large parts of Bastar region into a heavily mined zone by planting explosives along forest tracks, hilltops and strategic routes. Intelligence estimates suggest nearly 1,300 to 1,400 IEDs may still be scattered across the region, particularly in areas where major recoveries of weapons and explosives were recently made.
Officials said some hilltop stretches had explosives buried every 20 to 25 metres, effectively creating vast minefields designed to obstruct troop movement and inflict casualties long after Maoist cadres retreated from the area.
Security forces have so far recovered 35 sophisticated firearms, around 450 IEDs and 899 bundles of cordex wire used to trigger blasts. During the ongoing operations, personnel also unearthed and destroyed 52 underground dump sites, 152 bunkers and 12 temporary hideouts that once functioned as logistical bases for Maoist operatives.
According to the officials, these underground facilities contained not only weapons and explosives, but also food stocks, machinery, communication equipment and materials used in the manufacture of explosive devices, highlighting the depth of the Maoist network that had operated in Bastar for years.
“Although hundreds of explosive devices have been detected and neutralised, de-mining operations are still continuing in several locations because the terrain remains extremely dangerous,” a senior security official said.
The officials said intelligence inputs indicate that Maoists systematically planted IEDs while withdrawing from strongholds under pressure from advancing security forces. The tactic, they added, was aimed at slowing anti-insurgency operations, restricting troop mobility and sustaining an atmosphere of fear even after the insurgents lost territorial control.
Experts cautioned that while Maoists may have suffered major setbacks and lost infrastructure in Bastar, the hidden explosive network continues to pose a serious challenge. Many devices remain difficult to detect, with some virtually invisible to standard metal detectors, making demining operations one of the most complex and hazardous phases of the anti-Naxal campaign.