by Devika Chandrakar
In the Bastar region of Chhattisgarh, security forces stumbled upon a 130-foot-long Vietcong-style tunnel during an anti-Maoist operation in Bijapur.
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“The hiding place was hidden well, and nobody noticed it except for one of our district reserve guard soldiers. This is likely the largest hiding place we’ve found in the area so far,” explained Dantewada Superintendent of Police (SP) Gaurav Rai.
This is the first time they have found such a tunnel in Bastar since the fighting with the Maoists started almost twenty years ago. The tunnel is a bit like the ones used by the Viet Cong during the Vietnam War. It’s a big deal because it adds more difficulty to the job of stopping the Maoists.
The tunnel, found near Tadopot village along the Indravati river, was unearthed by District Reserve Guard (DRG) jawans, known for their expertise in navigating Maoist traps. It is strategically located approximately 330 km south of Raipur, almost equidistant (35–40 km) from Dantewada and Bijapur, and merely 10 km from the Bhairamgarh police station.
Measuring 10–12 feet underground, the tunnel provides a concealed space capable of housing up to 100 armed cadres. Videos released by the police show sections where jawans need to stoop, but the tunnel appears spacious enough for a squad to navigate in a single file, carrying weapons and supplies. Constructed with packed earth walls and featuring niches for sunlight and ventilation, the tunnel seems to be a recent development.
The soldiers found this tunnel as they were returning from an operation to catch a Maoist commander named Mallesh from the Indravati Area Committee. Even though they found three camps during the operation, they didn’t find any Maoists there. So, they destroyed the camps and started heading back to their base. It was on their way back that the DRG soldiers noticed a strange-looking patch on the ground in the jungle. They thought something might be hidden there, so they started digging and found a kind of trapdoor made of mud and wood. It was the entrance to the tunnel. Even though they went inside, ready for a fight, there was no one inside.
The discovery of this tunnel tells us that the Maoists are changing the way they operate to deal with the increased efforts by the security forces. They are getting smarter and using tactics like building tunnels to avoid being seen from the air.
Chhattisgarh CM Vishnu Deo Sai has made it clear that the fight against naxalism will continue with full strength and that operations will be intensified.
