The Chhattisgarh police have roped in surrendered Naxalites with expertise in improvised explosive devices (IEDs) to train security personnel, aiming to enhance their operational capabilities, officials said on Thursday.
The counter-insurgency strategy comes shortly after Chhattisgarh, particularly the Bastar region that had grappled with Left-Wing Extremism for over four decades, was declared free of armed Maoists on March 31. According to officials, this knowledge-sharing will play a crucial role in making the Bastar region safer by strengthening the capacity of security forces to detect and neutralise IED threats. It will protect both personnel and local communities from the dangers of explosives that Maoists had once planted extensively across the region during the peak of their influence and activity.
Around 20 former Maoist cadres, many with prior experience in handling and deploying IEDs, have been identified to assist in training programmes at the Counter Terrorism and Jungle Warfare College in Kanker district, Inspector General of Police, Bastar Range, Sundarraj Pattilingam said.
Their role will focus on sharing practical, field-level knowledge of how such devices are assembled, concealed, and triggered in dense forest terrain. The initiative aims to enhance the operational capabilities of security forces while prioritising civilian safety, he said.
“This effort is intended to clear the region of IED threats by using the insights of surrendered cadres to better understand and neutralise these devices,” he said.
Many of the selected individuals held key operational roles within Maoist ranks, particularly in IED handling and training, he said.
The training programme is designed not only to strengthen detection and neutralisation capabilities but also to reduce risks in remote and forested areas, where IEDs have historically been planted, to protect the lives and properties of the native population, he said.
Beyond its operational value, the move also reflects a broader rehabilitation strategy, transforming former insurgents into contributors to public safety. By integrating their knowledge into formal training systems, the authorities aim to both neutralise lingering threats and support the reintegration of former cadres into mainstream society, he added.
A senior police official engaged in anti-Naxal operations said that IEDs, often buried underground or hidden in vegetation, had been a major threat to security forces involved in counter-insurgency operations in the Bastar region.
IEDs accounted for a large number of casualties over the years. Even anti-landmine vehicles have been targeted in the past, he said, wishing anonymity.
Between 2001 and March 2026, security forces recovered at least 4,607 IEDs across the seven districts of Bastar division, including Bastar, Kanker, Kondagaon, Narayanpur, Dantewada, Sukma, and Bijapur, spread over nearly 40,000 square kilometres. During the same period, 1,280 IED blasts were reported, resulting in significant loss of life among both civilians and personnel, he said.
Despite improved detection technologies and regular recovery operations aided by sniffer dogs and trained units, challenges persisted, particularly in areas where frequent de-mining is not feasible, he said.
“As the area has now been cleared of armed Maoists, the support of surrendered cadres will help security forces detect and neutralise IEDs planted in the past by Naxalites and make the forests safer,” he added.
