New Delhi, Dec 9 (IANS) Union Home Minister Amit Shah will review anti-Maoist operations during a visit to Chhattisgarh next week, making it his first appearance in the Red Zone after the killing of top commander Madvi Hidma in a multi-state operation near the Andhra Pradesh-Odisha border last month, an official said on Tuesday.

During the visit, HM Shah will attend the Bastar Olympics event on December 13 and on the sidelines of the event he will review the progress in the anti-Maoist operations by security officials, in light of the deadline to rid the country of rebels by March 31, 2026, an official said.

During the visit, the Home Minister is also expected to interact with the teams of the security forces involved in recent successful operations.

In a huge blow to the Maoist movement in the country, top commander Madvi Hidma was killed in an exchange of fire with security forces in Andhra Pradesh’s Alluri Sitharamaraju district in the Andhra-Odisha border area on November 18.

Hidma’s wife, Raje, and four other Maoists, who were his gunmen, were also killed in the encounter that took place in the Maredumilli forest area.

Soon after Hidma’s killing, the CRPF reiterated its commitment, aligned with HM Shah’s directive, to completely free Chhattisgarh — and India — from the Maoist menace well before the March 31, 2026 deadline.

Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) Director General (DG) Gyanendra Pratap Singh visited the newly-established Tadapala in the dense forests of Chhattisgarh’s Bastar region on November 21, reaffirming the security force’s determination to eradicate Maoist influence.

The Tadapala Forward Operating Base, set up in the aftermath of the landmark ‘Operation Black Forest’ earlier this year, stands as a symbol of security forces’ dominance in the once-impenetrable Karregutta hills along the Chhattisgarh-Telangana border.

The 21-day operation, conducted from April to May 2025, neutralised 31 Maoists, dismantled more than 200 hideouts and caves, and forced a mass exodus, surrenders, and eliminations from the core Maoist stronghold – marking a decisive blow to Left-Wing Extremism.

During his visit, DG Singh held detailed strategic reviews with field commanders, praising the coordinated efforts of CRPF’s elite 205 CoBRA commando unit and 196 Battalion that turned the tide in the Karreguttalu area.

“The success of ‘Operation Black Forest’ has cleared the core zones. Now, with permanent Forward Operating Bases like Tadapala, we dominate the terrain year-round,” sources quoted him as saying.

–IANS

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