Maoists set conditions for peace talks, seek halt to ‘Operation Kagar’

Guwahati, Apr 2: The Communist Party of India (Maoist), CPI (Maoist), has declared its willingness to engage in peace talks with the Centre and state government, provided that the ongoing “Operation Kagar” is halted.

The outlawed group's Central Committee has termed the security operation a "genocide" and is demanding an end to what it describes as a "military offensive" in Maoist-affected regions, including Chhattisgarh, Maharashtra's Gadchiroli, Odisha, Jharkhand, Madhya Pradesh, and Telangana, The Hindu reported on Wednesday.

In a statement purportedly issued by the CPI (Maoist) Central Committee, the group welcomed the recent round table discussion organised by the ‘Peace Talks Committee’ in Hyderabad on March 24.

Reiterating their openness to peace talks in the interest of the people, the Maoists reportedly stated that they had put forward proposals to the Centre and state governments to create a conducive atmosphere for negotiations.

"If the governments positively respond to these proposals, we will immediately announce a ceasefire," the group reportedly stated, according to the national daily.

The CPI (Maoist) also highlighted the human toll of “Operation Kagar”, claiming that over 400 individuals, including party leaders, members of the People’s Liberation Guerrilla Army (PLGA), and local Adivasis, have lost their lives over the past 15 months.

According to the statement, one-third of those killed were Adivasis, particularly from Chhattisgarh.

Appealing to civil rights groups, Adivasi and Dalit organisations, youth collectives, and the Peace Talks Committee, the Maoists have called for a nationwide campaign to pressure the government into engaging in dialogue based on their proposals.

Meanwhile, counter-insurgency operations against the Maoists continue to intensify. On March 29, security forces eliminated 16 cadres in a fierce gun battle near the Sukma-Dantewada inter-district border in Chhattisgarh.

Since the beginning of 2024, security forces have reportedly recovered the bodies of 132 Maoists in counter-insurgency operations across the state, with 116 of them from the Bastar division alone.

According to national security data, 219 Maoists were killed in Bastar throughout 2024, marking one of the most significant setbacks for insurgents in recent years. The Centre has set a deadline of March 31, 2026, to completely eliminate Maoist activities in the country.