Abujhmad: The forbidden zone
Where: A 4,000 sqkm expanse spread across Narayanpur-Gadchiroli and Chhotedonger districts of Chhattisgarh is a liberated zone under Maoist control.
Why: With 237 villages located in the area, Abujhmad jungle is the headquarters and nerve centre of Maoist military command. The thick forests provide ideal cover.
Activities: In 2012, 26 training camps were organised in the area. Till April 15 this year, six such training camps have been reportedly organised in Abujhmad. On March 23, the special task force busted a camp and recovered 589 firearms.
Control: Maoist arms production units spread across Andhra, Chhattisgarh, West Bengal, Bihar and Maharashtra is controlled from Abujhmad.
Bloody trail
Feb 23, 2000: Landmine blows up truck carrying nearly 40 policemen near Narayanpur, Madhya Pradesh. Twenty-two policemen killed.
March 7, 2000: PWG assassinates Andhra Pradesh panchayati raj minister A Madhava Reddy at Ghatkesar, just 30km from Hyderabad.
Dec. 2, 2001: PWG kills Orissa’s minister for textiles Arabinda Dhali at Poteru village in Malkangiri.
March 15, 2007: Fifty-four people, including 15 Chhattisgarh Armed Force personnel, killed in an offensive in Bastar.
June 29, 2008: CPI (Maoists) attack a boat on Balimela reservoir carrying security personnel, killing 38.
July 12, 2009: Twenty-nine police officers killed in an ambush in Chhattisgarh.
Feb. 15, 2010: Attack on an army camp in West Bengal leaves 24 soldiers dead.
April 4, 2010: Eleven policemen killed when Maoists blow up a bus in Odisha’s Koraput district.
April 6, 2010: 76 CRPF personnel killed in ambush at Chintalnar village in Dantewada district, Chhattisgarh
August 20, 2011: At least 11 policemen killed in an attack by Naxals in Chhattisgarh’s Bijapur district.
May 24, 2011: Nine policemen, including the Additional Superintendent of Chhattisgarh’s Gariabandh district, killed in a landmine blast close to the border with Odisha.
March 27, 2012: Twelve CRPF personnel killed and 28 injured in landmine blast in Gadchiroli district of Maharashtra.
May 25, 2013: Senior Congress leader Mahendra Karma killed and former Union minister V C Shukla injured when heavily armed Maoists ambush a convoy of party leaders in Chhattisgarh’s Bastar district. The bodies of Chhattisgarh Congress chief Nand Kumar Patel and his son found later. Final toll, 28 dead.
The fight back
CoBRA: Combat Battalion for Resolute Action (CoBRA) was raised by the Centre in 2009 for anti-Naxalite operations in Maoist-affected states. Trained in jungle warfare, the 10 battalions of guerrilla commandos have been deployed in Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, Bihar, Maharashtra and Odisha. Equipped with modern assault weapons, CoBRA commandos are trained in the jungle warfare school in Mizoram and stay in jungles for over a month at a stretch.
Jharkhand Jaguar: The state-level force was raised in 2008, with 22 assault groups and approximately 1,977 personnel for anti-Naxalite operations in the state. The force is especially trained to fight in hilly and forested terrain. The unit is equipped with mortar, LMG, UBGL, rocket launchers and AK-47s.
Greyhounds: Raised by Andhra Pradesh in 1989 to neutralise growing Maoist threats, Greyhounds is the first elite paramilitary commando force in the country. With 2,000 commandos in its battalion, Greyhounds successfully wiped out Left Wing Extremism from 23 districts of Andhra Pradesh. Trained in inhospitable jungle terrain, Greyhounds commandos are selected through a rigorous screening process.
C60 Commandos: The local commando unit for anti-Naxalite operations in Maharashtra, the C60 unit was raised in 1991. The 700-strong units are mostly drawn from local security agencies who understand the language and terrain of Gadchiroli. The C60 crack team is trained by Greyhounds and NSG in jungle warfare.