No Immediate Withdrawal of Central Forces from Bastar Despite Meeting LWE Deadline
Raipur: Bastar has successfully met the March 31 deadline set for ending Left Wing Extremism (LWE), but there will be no immediate drawdown of the nearly 40,000 central force personnel deployed across the region. Authorities have announced that the next six months will be utilized to thoroughly assess ground conditions, plug existing security gaps, and significantly build up the state's own policing capacity before any decision is taken regarding the withdrawal of central forces.
Gradual Transition Emphasized Over Symbolic Withdrawal
Speaking exclusively, Bastar range Inspector General P Sundarraj clarified that speculations over a quick withdrawal of Central Armed Police Forces (CAPF) personnel are entirely misplaced. He emphasized that such critical decisions are strictly guided by ground parameters and explicit directions from the Union Home Ministry. "It will not happen immediately with the realisation of the objective in Bastar. The situation will be reassessed, a detailed report will be prepared over the next six months, and only then will a decision be taken by the ministry," stated IG Sundarraj.
The state government is proactively moving to ensure that no security vacuum is created once central forces are eventually rolled out. Sundarraj revealed that 10 new police stations have been sanctioned across Bastar division in the 2026-27 budget, in addition to two approved earlier. Furthermore, more than 4,000 personnel from the specialized Bastar Fighters unit will be deployed across these and other understaffed police stations. This unit comprises personnel across all police ranks, from station house officers to constables.
Continued Role for Central Forces and Enhanced State Policing
The transition, according to officials, will be gradual and strategic rather than symbolic. Even after the declared end of active insurgency, central forces will continue to perform essential duties. These will include intensive forest patrols, robust area domination operations, recovery of hidden Maoist arms and explosives, disposal of improvised explosive devices, and continuous surveillance of the activities of surrendered cadres. They will also actively assist in vital village outreach programs and confidence-building measures as normal life slowly returns to areas once considered Maoist strongholds.
IG Sundarraj outlined that the future security model post-CAPF drawdown would rely less on raw troop numbers and more on professional, qualitative policing. "The state has to build its own capacity. What we need eventually is not just numerical strength, but better policing," he asserted.
Budgetary Allocations and Long-Term Planning
Earlier, Chhattisgarh Deputy Chief Minister Vijay Sharma, who also handles the Home portfolio, indicated that central forces posted in Bastar would begin pulling out after March 31, 2027. The scaling up of police personnel in Bastar was a key focus area of the 2025-26 state budget.
The budget approved 3,202 new posts for Bastar, ranging from inspector to constable rank. This includes 2,500 Bastar Fighter constable posts allocated across the seven districts of the division. An additional provision was made for another 1,500 Bastar Fighter constable posts specifically for the districts of Bijapur, Sukma, and Narayanpur. Collectively, the 12 proposed new police stations in the region are estimated to require approximately 500 personnel.
According to the sanctioned plan, new police stations will be established at:
- Potali in Dantewada
- Mehta and Silger in Sukma
- Pujari in Bijapur
- Korcholi and Sitram in Kanker
- Garpa, Kasturmeta, Toke, and Kutul in Narayanpur
Previously, the government had also cleared the opening of two additional police stations at Elmagunda and Dabbakonta in Sukma district. This comprehensive plan underscores a committed shift towards sustainable, state-led security architecture in the region.
