RAIPUR: As security forces continue their crackdown against the four-decade-old left-wing extremism in Chhattisgarh, flushing out cadres from their hideouts, women form a high percentage of Maoists being neutralised in exchanges of fire with troops.
For instance, among the 27 Maoists killed last Wednesday in south Bastar, there were 12 women (44 percent), while in the 21-day Operation Black Forest in the Karreguttalu hilly terrain on the Chhattisgarh-Telangana border that culminated on May 11, 16 of the 31 Maoists killed (51%) were women.
In the encounter that eliminated Maoist supreme commander Basavaraju, the 12 women cadres killed included Kalpana, who was just 20, while the eldest among them were Sangita and Bhumika, both 35.
Police officials who have had a long stint working in the combat zone of Bastar region divulged that the strength of women in the Maoist organisation in Chhattisgarh remains much higher compared to the adjoining states of Telangana, Andhra, Maharashtra, Odisha, Jharkhand and MP.
Jungle warfare expert Brigadier (Retd) B K Ponwar said the organisational structure of Maoists in Chhattisgarh is quite unusual, with women constituting over forty percent of its strength. “Sadly, they are misled tribal women who are projected as warriors against the state,” he added.
Women are enrolled at a young age from villages and also assigned the responsibility of serving in the Maoists’ cultural troupe ‘Chetna Natya Mandli’, various supply chains and keeping watch on their male counterparts.
“The women Naxals are deployed as human shields too as their male counterparts are cowards. Female cadres, unlike their men, don’t easily flee from the field,” a senior IPS officer having nearly a decade-long posting in conflict-ridden Bastar told The New Indian Express.
One of the reasons for the high strength of women among the Maoists is a reflection of the social character of tribal communities in Chhattisgarh. “This consequently influences the composition of the Maoist organisation,” said an officer of IGP rank.
The CPI (Maoist), in their attempt to garner the support of women and lure them to join their movement, were also seen issuing a diktat to the local population to observe International Women’s Day on March 8.
Casualty count of women Maoist cadres in major operations in 2025
12 among 27 along Narayanpur-Bijapur border, 21 May
16 among 31 in 21-day long Operation Black Forest, 11 May
11 among 17 in Sukma, 29 March
14 among 26 in Bijapur, 20 March
11 among 31 in Bijapur, 9 February
6 among 16 in Gariyaband, 21 JanuaryVital inputs from surrendered Maoists helped forces track down Basavaraju who carried Rs 3.25 crore bounty