The Chhattisgarh government has decided to downgrade the security cover of 116 political leaders and public representatives in the Bastar region, citing a sharp fall in Maoist violence, Deputy Chief Minister and Home Minister Vijay Sharma said, according to Hindustan Times.
He said the decision followed a six-month review and a threat assessment. "The target was set to end armed naxalism by March 31, 2026. It would not have been appropriate to withdraw security immediately after that, so arrangements were monitored for six months," he said.
Who is affected
Protectees are moving down one category: from Z+ to Z, Z to Y+, and Y+ to Y. A second round will follow after another six-month review.
The government has not released the list. A police officer said the cover of Cabinet minister Kedar Kashyap, Congress State president Deepak Baij, former ministers Mahesh Gagda and Congress MLA Kawasi Lakhma, and members of the family of slain Congress leader Mahendra Karma had been reduced.
The opposition's warning
Mr. Baij said the Maoist threat had declined but had not been eliminated, and that a fresh assessment was needed before reducing the security of leaders, especially those who travel to interior areas of Bastar. "If an incident takes place with any public representative, the government will have to take responsibility," he said.
Why it matters
The State deploys more than 1,550 personnel and 500 vehicles to guard 400 protectees, over 1,000 of them for more than 250 leaders in Bastar alone, according to the police. Scaling back frees those personnel for other duties.
The move follows the Centre's declaration this year that the country is free of Left Wing Extremism. Union Home Minister Amit Shah told Parliament that 4,839 Maoists surrendered, 706 were killed and 2,218 were arrested over three years of intensified operations.