Union Home Minister and Minister of Cooperation, Shri Amit Shah to address ‘Uttar Pradesh Day’ as chief guest in Lucknow on 24 January, Saturday

1. At a Glance

• Joint CRPF–Jharkhand Police operation in West Singhbhum (Saranda forest belt) neutralised 'Anal' alias Patiram Manjhi, a CPI(Maoist) Central Committee member with ₹1 crore bounty, along with 15 other Naxalites [1].
• Operation feeds the Union Home Ministry's stated deadline of a Naxal-free India by 31 March 2026 [1].
• For UPSC: intersects GS-III Internal Security (LWE), federal policing (CRPF + state police), and tribal-belt development politics.

2. Why in the News

• On 22 January 2026, Union Home & Cooperation Minister Amit Shah announced the killing of Patiram Manjhi 'Anal' (CC member, ₹1 cr reward) and 15 others in West Singhbhum, Jharkhand in a joint CRPF–Jharkhand Police action [1].
• Reiterated commitment to eradicate Naxalism before 31 March 2026 and appealed to remaining cadres to surrender [1].

3. Background & Evolution

• CPI (Maoist) formed 21 September 2004 by merger of MCCI and CPI(ML)-PW; banned under UAPA, 1967.
• Peak violence 2010: 1,936 LWE incidents; 1,005 civilian + SF deaths [3].
• SAMADHAN doctrine unveiled by HM in 2017 as 8-pillar operational strategy [2][3].
• Saranda forest (West Singhbhum) — historic Maoist stronghold; previously target of Operation Anaconda (2011) and Operation Monsoon.
• 2024–25 mega-operations: Karreguttalu Hill (KGH) on Chhattisgarh–Telangana border – 31 Maoists killed [4]; Operation Black Forest [5].

4. Core Static Facts

• Nodal Ministry: Ministry of Home Affairs – Left Wing Extremism (LWE) Division, created 2006 [2].
• Lead Central Force: CRPF (incl. CoBRA – Commando Battalion for Resolute Action, raised 2008) [6].
• Operational doctrine: SAMADHAN – S(mart Leadership), A(ggressive Strategy), M(otivation & Training), A(ctionable Intelligence), D(ashboard-based KPIs), H(arnessing Technology), A(ction plan for each Theatre), N(o access to Financing) [2].
• Key schemes:
• Security Related Expenditure (SRE) scheme
• Special Infrastructure Scheme (SIS)
• Special Central Assistance (SCA) for most affected districts
• Road Connectivity Project for LWE Areas (RCPLWEA) – under MoRTH

• LWE Mobile Tower Project – under DoT [2].

• District categorisation (Dec 2025): Total LWE-affected districts down to 8; Most Affected down to 3 (from 12 earlier in 2025 → 6 → 3) [3].

• Violence trend: incidents fell 88% (1,936 → 234) and deaths 90% (1,005 → 100) from 2010 to 2025 [3].
• West Singhbhum: tribal-majority district; HQ Chaibasa; covers Saranda ("700 hills") – Asia's largest sal forest; rich in iron ore.

5. Multi-Dimensional Analysis

• Internal Security: Demonstrates maturation of state-police-led, CAPF-backed model; targeting top CC leadership collapses command structure.
• Administrative / Federal: Police is a State subject (List II Entry 2); CRPF deployed under Article 355 support. Joint commands rely on Unified Command mechanism set up in LWE states.
• Social / Tribal: Affected districts overlap with Scheduled Areas (V Schedule); success must be paired with PESA 1996 & FRA 2006 implementation to prevent recurrence.
• Developmental: SCA fund flows to roads, schools, banks, mobile towers in cleared pockets – the "clear-hold-build-develop" sequence.
• Ethical / Rights: Human-rights scrutiny of encounters; demand for independent magisterial inquiry in each fatality.
• Economic: Saranda's iron-ore belt – security stabilisation unlocks mining leases; raises questions of tribal land alienation.

6. Recent Developments (12-18 months)

• 22 Jan 2026: West Singhbhum operation – Patiram Manjhi 'Anal' (CC member) + 15 cadres killed [1].
• Dec 2025: MHA data – LWE districts reduced to 8; "Most Affected" to 3 [3].
• 2025: Operation Black Forest [5] and Karreguttalu Hill operation – 31 Maoists killed on Chhattisgarh–Telangana border [4].
• 2024: HM declared 31 March 2026 as deadline for Naxal-free India [2].
• Hazaribagh joint CRPF-CoBRA-Jharkhand Police success [6].

7. Prelims Hooks

• LWE Division sits under Ministry of Home Affairs (not MoD or MoTA) [2].
• CoBRA is a specialised jungle-warfare unit of CRPF, raised 2008 [6].
• SAMADHAN = 8-pillar anti-LWE doctrine articulated in 2017 [2].
• CPI (Maoist) banned under Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, 1967 (Schedule of terrorist orgs).
• Saranda forest lies in West Singhbhum, Jharkhand.
• RCPLWEA road scheme is implemented by MoRTH, not MHA.
• Naxal violence incidents fell to 234 in 2025, an 88% drop from 2010 [3].
• Most LWE-affected districts: down to 3 by end-2025 [3].
• ₹1 crore bounty was on Patiram Manjhi alias 'Anal', a Central Committee member of CPI(Maoist) [1].
• HM's deadline for ending Naxalism: 31 March 2026 [1].
• Operations like Black Forest and KGH target the Chhattisgarh–Telangana tri-junction [4][5].

8. Mains Relevance

• GS-III: Linkages between development and spread of extremism; Role of external state and non-state actors in creating challenges to internal security; Security challenges and their management in border areas.
• GS-II: Centre-State coordination in policing; tribal governance.
• Probable stems: 1. "The shrinking footprint of Left Wing Extremism in India is as much a story of development as of security operations." Examine in light of recent operations and the 31 March 2026 deadline. 2. Critically evaluate the SAMADHAN doctrine in addressing LWE; suggest reforms for the post-2026 phase. 3. Discuss the role of CAPFs, particularly CRPF and CoBRA, in counter-insurgency, with reference to operations in Jharkhand and Chhattisgarh.

9. Related Topics to Study Next

• CPI (Maoist) organisational structure – Central Committee, Politburo, PLGA – decoding kill/surrender lists.
• Fifth Schedule & PESA 1996 – governance template for the same tribal belt.
• Forest Rights Act, 2006 – community claims in Saranda.
• UAPA, 1967 amendments – legal scaffold for banning.
• CAPFs (CRPF, BSF, ITBP, SSB, CISF) – mandates and deployment.
• Aspirational Districts Programme – overlaps heavily with LWE districts.
• Road Connectivity Project for LWE Areas & LWE Mobile Tower Project – development arm of strategy.
• Operation Greenhunt / Salwa Judum (Nandini Sundar v. State of Chhattisgarh, 2011) – historical and judicial precedent.

10. Common Errors / Trap Areas

• Confusing CoBRA (CRPF jungle unit) with NSG or Greyhounds (Andhra/Telangana state force).
• Treating LWE Division as part of MoD; it is under MHA.
• Mixing CPI (Maoist) (banned, 2004) with CPI (M) or CPI (ML)-Liberation (legal parliamentary parties).
• Believing RCPLWEA is implemented by MHA — it is MoRTH; mobile-tower project is by DoT.
• Saranda is in West Singhbhum (Jharkhand), often wrongly placed in Odisha or Chhattisgarh.