Commandos from Chhattisgarh’s anti-Maoist Reserve Guard and Bastar militants will be deployed at police stations across the seven districts of Bastar region, marking a shift from counter-insurgency roles to regular police duties, people familiar with the matter said. They added that about 4,000 individuals will be part of this transition process.
The move comes amid a significant decline in left-wing extremism in the region, with Union Home Minister Amit Shah telling Parliament on Monday that India is now free of Maoists. Shah’s statement came one day before the government’s March 31, 2026 deadline to eliminate left-wing extremism. Shah said 4,839 Maoists surrendered, 706 were killed, and 2,218 were arrested and imprisoned in the past three years. State authorities also confirmed that Bastar is largely free of armed Maoist presence.
Bastar, Dantewada, Sukuma, Bijapur, Narayanpur, Kondagaon and Kanker districts have been the epicenter of the Maoist insurgency in Chhattisgarh for decades.
The DRG and Bastar guerrillas were created to fight the Maoist insurgency, and are largely made up of local tribes and surrendered Maoists. Their knowledge of the forest terrain made them a key element in anti-Maoist operations, often leading from the front during encounters and search operations.
Officials said the DRG and Bastar Fighters personnel will be integrated into routine police work due to their minimum operational requirements after some training.
Inspector General (Bastar) Sundaraj Pattilingam said the training program will cover routine crime investigation, traffic management, forensic procedures and maintenance of law and order. “Since operational duty is now negligible…they will now engage in basic policing.”
He added that female commandos will be specialized in training to deal with cases related to trafficking in children and women and crime-solving skills.
Officials said the move aims to strengthen police presence at the grassroots level and improve communication in remote tribal areas through the use of personnel familiar with the local language and geography.
Pattilingam said the state government would receive an invitation for the anti-Maoist Special Task Force when it comes under its command. He added that the Union government will take a decision regarding the withdrawal of central forces.
