A Google Earth screenshot of a part of the Karregutta Hills area as seen from the Chhattisgarh side.
New Delhi: Security forces will soon establish a specialized jungle-warfare college at Karregutta Hills in Bijapur district, Chhattisgarh, on terrain once considered the most fortified Maoist stronghold in central India. The facility will train personnel from the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF), Chhattisgarh Police, District Reserve Guard (DRG), Commando Battalion for Resolute Action (CoBRA) and other security forces.
A Chhattisgarh government official confirmed that the central government would fund the construction while the state would provide approach roads and basic infrastructure. The development comes after security forces successfully cleared Karregutta Hills of Maoist control during a monthlong operation launched in April-May this year, in which dozens of Maoists were killed.
The operation, dubbed “Operation Black Forest”, saw around 20,000 personnel led by the Central Reserve Police Force systematically clear the strategic terrain. Security forces destroyed 214 bunkers and Maoist hideouts, recovered 35 weapons including self-loading rifles and semi-automatic weapons, seized 450 improvised explosive devices, and captured approximately 12,000 kilograms of ration.
The Karregutta Hills, which strides across Chhattisgarh and Telangana border and extends 25–50 kilometres with waterfalls and narrow valleys, had served as manufacturing centres for improvised weapons and shelter for senior Maoist commanders. The remote terrain, largely inaccessible to local populations, provided natural defensive advantages that made it a preferred refuge for insurgent leadership.
The Chhattisgarh chief minister, Vishnu Deo Sai, described the operation as evidence that Maoist ideology was collapsing. Speaking after the operation’s conclusion, he expressed confidence that India would achieve its goal of eliminating left-wing extremism by March 2026, crediting the prime minister, Narendra Modi, and the Union home minister, Amit Shah, for the strategic direction.
This marks the second jungle-warfare training facility in the state. In 2004, authorities established the Counter-Terrorism and Jungle Warfare College in Kanker district. The new centre at Karregutta will strengthen India’s counterinsurgency capabilities, drawing from the tactical lessons learned during recent operations.
India already operates premier counterinsurgency training institutions including the Counter-Insurgency and Jungle Warfare School in Mizoram’s Vairengte, specializing in unconventional warfare and recognized among the world’s leading counterinsurgency training centres.
Since December 2023, security forces have intensified anti-Naxalite operations across affected regions. Official data shows 453 Maoists killed, 1,616 arrested, and 1,666 surrendered during this period. The state has simultaneously established 65 new security camps while expanding road networks, bridges, culverts, and mobile network infrastructure in previously inaccessible areas.
Currently, six districts remain classified as “most affected” by Naxalism: Bijapur, Kanker, Narayanpur, and Sukma in Chhattisgarh, West Singhbhum in Jharkhand, and Gadchiroli in Maharashtra.
The establishment of the jungle-warfare college represents a significant shift from defensive to proactive strategy, transforming a former insurgent sanctuary into a training ground for India’s security forces. The symbolic importance of converting Maoist strongholds into state infrastructure underscores the government’s systematic approach to eliminating left-wing extremism from central India’s tribal belt.
The success of recent operations has provided momentum for the government’s declared timeline of achieving a “Naxalite-free India” by March 2026, though challenges remain in addressing the underlying socio-economic factors that sustain insurgency in remote tribal areas.