Paramilitary forces may start leaving Bastar by Mar 2027, says Chhattisgarh home minister Vijay Sharma

RAIPUR: Chhattisgarh home minister and deputy chief minister Vijay Sharma on Tuesday said that most central paramilitary forces deployed in Bastar could begin withdrawing by March 31, 2027, a year after the state’s publicly declared target of ending armed Naxalism by March 31, 2026.

“We are presently focused on the March 31, 2026 deadline. The Union home minister has also said that by March 31, 2027, central armed forces will start returning from Chhattisgarh. By then, we have to make complete arrangements,” Sharma told TOI.In one of his clearest statements yet on the security roadmap, Sharma said the insurgency in Bastar had been substantially weakened, with most Maoist area committees now inactive.

“There were 30 Maoist area committees. Of them, 26 are now dormant. The remaining four are in south and west Bastar, and they too will be eliminated,” he said.Home minister said security agencies were still tracking senior Maoist leader Papa Rao, but added that the larger objective was to ensure that the area is free of armed insurgent control regardless of whether individual leaders are captured immediately.“Whether he comes or not, the area should be free,” Sharma said, suggesting the government’s focus had shifted from symbolic targets to lasting territorial control.

He also claimed that the number of Maoists still left in the forests was now small and their exact operational status unclear. “Around 50 to 60 Maoists may still be in the forests. We are not even sure how many remain armed. Many have thrown away uniforms, buried weapons and are living in villages like civilians,” he said.Assembly UpdateEarlier, replying to a discussion on the budget demands of the home, jail, panchayat and rural development, and science and technology departments in the assembly, Sharma said the state was preparing for a phased drawdown of central forces.The minister’s remarks came amid a sharp intervention from leader of opposition Charandas Mahant, who asked the govt to explain reports that the Centre had sought Rs 21,530 crore from Chhattisgarh towards expenditure on deployment of central paramilitary forces in the state.Mahant told the House that a communication from the Union home ministry had referred to the amount and asked under which budget head the state proposed to pay it, since no such major provision appeared in the budget documents.

He also referred to a letter written by chief minister Vishnu Deo Sai to the Centre on March 17, 2025, seeking waiver of the amount, and said the Centre had replied that the payment could be made in four instalments.He demanded a detailed break-up of the expenditure and said such a large liability should be clearly explained to the House.Responding, Sharma said the correspondence with the Centre related to a period spanning the previous Congress government and the current regime, and that the matter was at the stage of final settlement.

He said the final call on payment would be taken by the chief minister and the finance minister, and maintained that it would not place any major burden on the state’s finances.Former chief minister Bhupesh Baghel referred to the repeatedly cited March 31 deadline, said only a few days remained and suggested that, if the target was met, a special session of the assembly should be convened to mark the end of Naxalism in the state.At the same time, Baghel cautioned that any post-conflict transition in Bastar must primarily benefit local people.Sharma used the budget discussion to outline the government’s security and rehabilitation plans. He said the police department had been allocated Rs 7,130.48 crore under revenue expenditure and Rs 590.53 crore under capital expenditure, taking the total police budget to Rs 7,721.01 crore.He said Rs 38 crore had been earmarked for fixed deposits and skill training of surrendered Left Wing Extremists under the central rehabilitation policy, while six new posts had been proposed for a modern IT centre at police headquarters in Nava Raipur to strengthen the investigation and prevention of cyber and modern crime.The minister also said new posts had been approved under specialised units including the Anti-Terrorist Squad, State Industrial Security Force, Special Operations Group, Anti-Narcotics Task Force and bomb disposal units.After the discussion, the assembly rejected a Congress cut motion after voting and passed the budget demands of Sharma’s departments.