For more than twenty years, the Chhattisgarh police, in collaboration with the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF), raised the Indian national flag in eight Maoist-affected villages in the Bastar region for the first time. These villages have witnessed significant violence since the formation of the state in 2000. Previously, flags of the banned Communist Party of India (Maoist) were flown in these areas.

Following this year’s Republic Day on January 26, joint security forces from the state and central government established eight police camps in remote locations in Bastar, Bijapur, and Sukma districts. Among these, Bijapur and Sukma are considered as war zones. The villages where the camps were set up include Silger Nala, Bedre, Tondamarka, and Dabbamarka in Sukma district, as well as Chinnagelur, Timenar, and Hiroli in Bijapur, and Manhakal in Kanker.

The police taught the children of these villages about the significance of the national flag and treated them with sweets and chocolates. Inspector-General of Police for the region, Sundarraj P, mentioned that in the past 23 years, over 160 jawans and around 120 civilians have sacrificed their lives fighting against Left-wing extremism in and around these villages.

Despite the challenging circumstances, the villagers remained committed to democratic values and the spirit of freedom. The establishment of new security camps allowed them to celebrate a national festival by raising the Tricolor for the first time in their locality. This achievement was attributed to the government’s three-pronged plan of faith, development, and security. This year, 20 security personnel and 15 civilians were killed by CPI (Maoist) members.