Karregutta: Battle To Reclaim The Final Maoist Frontier In Chhattisgarh

For 11 relentless days, echoes of gunfire have shattered the grim silence of the Bastar forests. And now, India's largest anti-Maoist operation is approaching its most decisive chapter. The infamous 5,000-feet tall "Black Hill of Karregutta"- long considered an unbreachable fortress of Maoist insurgency - is on the brink of capture.

Once sealed not by the government, but fear, Karregutta is now witnessing a fierce face-off between security forces and the last remnants of India's most elusive guerrilla outfit.

The target is clear - Madavi Hidma, the shadowy mastermind of Battalion No. 1, perhaps the most dreaded name in Maoist ranks.

Since the operation began on April 22, two of the three critical ridges flanking the region have been secured.

After gaining control of Neelam Sarai Hill on Day 9, the forces took over Dhobe hills near Karregutta that had long been under Maoists control. Troops were air-dropped on Dhobe hills from helicopters.

National flags now flutter where landmines once ruled.

The third ridge - Karregutta itself - is the final frontier.

"This is the biggest anti-Maoist operation in the country. I salute the courage of our forces, operating in scorching heat, rugged terrain, without shade or water," said Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Vishnudev Sai, acknowledging the grit of the troops braving the searing heat and booby-trapped paths.

Behind every rock lies a buried IED or Improvised Explosive Device. Each bush could spell death. Yet the forces march on, helicopters hovering overhead and boots on the ground after rappelling down ropes into one of India's deadliest combat zones.

So far, 11 Maoists have reportedly been neutralized, three of them female cadres carrying a bounty of Rs 8 lakh each. But only a few bodies have been retrieved - proof of underground labyrinths and escape networks that are believed to crisscross the hills.

Deep within Karregutta, a Maoist conclave has hunkered down for years, intelligence sources suggest. The sinister roster of the brass: Madavi Hidma, Damodar, Bandi Prakash, Azad, Chandranna, Sujatha, Vikram and Kuttaram Chandra Reddy of the Central Committee; Paparao and Deva of the Dandakaranya Zonal Committee

Their suspected hideout? A gaping cave so massive, "even voices get lost inside", as one official described. It is from this lair that attacks with INSAS rifles, grenade launchers, and AK-47s have been meticulously planned.

Political tensions, meanwhile, rise across the state's south border.

Telangana, reportedly increasing pressure from the southern flank via Greyhounds, its special police unit, is advocating peace talks.

Its Chief Minister Revanth Reddy and opposition leader K Chandrasekhar Rao, for once, are on the same side.

While the Chief Minister said his government only sees Maoism from a social perspective, KCR -- as Mr Rao is popularly called -- has demanded that the Centre stop the anti-Maoist Operation in Chhattisgarh and "hold talks with Naxals like it is done in a democracy".

But Chhattisgarh remains defiant.

"This is no time for dialogue," declared Chhattisgarh Home Minister Vijay Sharma, slamming peace intermediaries. "Where were these voices when our jawans died in Jheeram Ghati? Now when Naxals are on the run, suddenly 'human rights' are being invoked. This is not negotiation, it is sabotage."

The Central government has set a deadline, March 31, 2026, to end Maoism once and for all. But here in Bastar, the battle is no longer about deadlines or declarations. Karregutta is a symbol - of blood spilled, decades lost, and of a country reclaiming its land inch by inch.

For the Maoists dug into the dark folds of this final hill, the message from the forces is clear: Surrender -- or fall to the bullet from any peak of Karregutta.