Retired IPS officer K Vijay Kumar, widely recognised for leading the operation that resulted in the end of forest brigand Veerappan in 2004, and who served as Senior Security Adviser in the MHA on Left-Wing Extremism, tells TNIE in an interview that though apex Naxal bodies—Central Committee and Politbureau—are dismantled, the Centre and affected states must be more vigilant now to keep the menace permanently at bay.
Excerpts:
The March 31, 2026, deadline has passed. How do you assess the threat posed by the Naxal menace in the country?
Their Central Committee and Polit Bureau are now completely finished, as the security forces either eliminated the top Naxal leadership or got them to surrender. However, I feel that Centre and state governments, along with security forces, should be more alert and keep up the pressure on the possible leftover leadership or cadres. Since the State has achieved its goal of dismantling the Naxal apparatus, it has to keep a close watch on the leftover elements, at least for some time.
You were part of the decision-making body as MHA adviser. What level of planning went into diminishing the Naxal threat?
The results are due to the perfect coordination between the Centre and the states. Earlier, the affected states asked for more assistance from the Centre, as they were unable to deal with the menace on their own due to incapacity, lack of planning and resources. But Maharashtra and Andhra Pradesh did well in decimating the armed rebellions. In Maharashtra, except for Gadchiroli district, the state handled it well. The district remained affected, as it bordered Madhya Pradesh and Telangana. Andhra Pradesh and Telangana were the most successful in dealing with the menace. Even Odisha was fairly successful. But, Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand and Bihar remained problem states.
How do you assess the steps taken in the past two decades to fix the menace?
It was during the UPA government led by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh that the Commando Battalion for Resolute Action (CoBRA) was formed in 2008 as a specialised unit within the CRPF to counter Naxalite insurgency. K Durga Prasad, an IPS officer of the 1981 batch, played a pivotal role in the formation and raising of the battalion under the guidance of ML Kumawat, who was then the Special Secretary, Internal Security, in the MHA. Since then, extensive training has been provided to personnel of the special force, nearly 200-300 fortified police stations have been built, and technical and human intelligence processes have been streamlined. Unified commands in problem states of Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, Odisha and Bihar were created under the chairmanship of chief ministers and these led to better decision-making and penetrating developmental and infrastructural development in the troubled zones. At least `20-30 crore were given to collectors of the Naxal-affected districts as discretionary funds.
What impact did the March 31 deadline have on the anti-Naxal operations?
Positive momentum gathered pace when Home Minister Amit Shah took charge of the Ministry. He encouraged the forces to go all out against those who had picked up guns. Many forward operations were undertaken, leading to the shrinkage of the Naxals’ liberated zone. The security forces established their camps deep in the jungles, which were once considered forbidden. But still, Dantewada-Sukma areas remained a complex challenge. However, with extensive coordination at the level of the Union Home Minister, who regularly met with the Chief Ministers and gave clear directions to the forces, the violent elements were brought under control.
Experts argue that the Naxal issue is rooted in socio-economic inequality. What do you have to say?
Given the successes, the emphasis should now be on recovering whatever the extremists have left behind and trying to identify leftover cadres who may be ideologically driven to pick up arms again.
Many infrastructure assets and social development initiatives have reached erstwhile affected areas, but they now need to be pushed further. However, I always felt that it is not only because of the lack of development that tribal youth pick up guns. My view is very clear that the state should eliminate and finish those who pick up guns.
How effective have rehabilitation and surrender policies been in bringing the Naxals back into the mainstream?
Andhra Pradesh presented a perfect model, where surrendered Maoists were rehabilitated properly and their whereabouts were kept secret to save them from being harmed by their former colleagues. Surrendered cadres have always helped security forces by providing strategic intelligence and revealing their operational strategies. This helped the State strategise better.