RANCHI: In a breakthrough, the security forces demolished as many as five underground Maoist bunkers in the jungles of Kalpaburu under Jaraikele police station in Chaibasa. It is believed that these rebels belonging to CPI-Maoists might have been using those bunkers for hiding after executing subversive activities.
The police and paramilitary forces were prompted to blow up the bunkers one after another after they had stumbled upon the existence of one of such bunkers at the Kulpaburu jungle.
According to police, a search operation is being conducted in the jungles of Chotanagra and Jaraikela since March 4, 2025.
“We have recovered five bunkers, being used by the Maoists for hiding themselves during operations, till the security forces receded. These bunkers were large enough to accommodate several rebels at a time measuring nearly eight feet high and 15 feet long,” said Chaibasa SP Ashutosh Shekhar.
These bunkers were open from both ends so that they could escape from the other end if found by the security forces from any of the ends, he added.
According to SP, some articles of day-to-day use have also been recovered from these bunkers. By looking at them, it could be said that they were in use merely 10-15 days back and might have been abandoned after the search operation was started, he said.
Earlier on April 5, as many as 16 bunkers used by Maoist insurgents were also recovered and destroyed by the security forces. According to Chaibasa SP, each bunker was large enough to accommodate between 40 to 50 Maoist operatives, indicating the scale of insurgent activity in the area.
The operation is part of an intensified crackdown on Maoist elements in the region, with efforts aimed at disrupting their logistical bases and preventing planned attacks. The police continue to monitor the area and are on high alert for any further movement of senior Maoist leaders.
Notably, Maoists are now restricted only to Saranda jungles in Jharkhand as they have been whipped out from other pockets of the state. According to an estimate, around 85 - 90 Maoists are supposed to be hiding in Saranda jungles, where they have planted thousands of IEDs, which has become a challenge for the security forces.
In November 2022, the state police launched a joint operation in the Kolhan and Saranda jungles of Chaibasa.
The operation, carried out by personnel from the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) and Jharkhand Police, was initiated based on intelligence reports indicating the presence of top Maoist leaders in the area, including Misir Besra, a senior CPI(Maoist) commander carrying a Rs1 crore bounty on his head.