According to the Chhattisgarh police, Maoist violence-related cases have declined by 28 percent in the sensitive Bastar region in the year 2021 when compared with 2020. The Bastar Inspector General of Police Sundarraj P shared with the media a report saying that there were 226 cases of Maoist violence registered by the police in 2017 as compared to 316 in 2020.
There were 550 Maoists who surrendered in 2021, an increase of over 38 percent when compared to the year before when 342 ultras had handed themselves over to police.
The number of Maoists killed by the security forces went up from 40 to 51 while those arrested went up from 438 to 487. The number of encounters, however, went up to 74 from 69 of the previous year.
Meanwhile, 46 security personnel were also killed in the line of duty during the year including 23 CRPF soldiers who were martyred in a single ambush by Maoists in the Sukma district in April 2021. Maoists also killed 34 civilians during the year which was less compared to the year 2020, when 47 civilians were killed.
