Coordination Committee for Peace Press Statement 16 May 2026

Coordination Committee for Peace Condemns Deadly Anti-Naxal Operation in Karregutta: Demands Independent Investigation into Mass Killings

On May 14th, 2025, the joint press conference of the CRPF DG and DGP of Chhattisgarh was held to mark the end of a 21-day anti-Maoist operation at the Chhattisgarh-Telangana border. The Coordination Committee for Peace (CCP) is alarmed by the official declaration at the press conference of an operational success ,  when the evidence provided to the media at the press conference raises serious concerns: based on the production of bodies, as many as five days later, in sordid states of despoilation and decay; apparently no effort having been made by the security forces to legitimately detain and legally arrest those suspected to be Maoists; reports of enormous reward monies claimed for each body produced, where the money is to be given to the very forces who killed them; and, above all, the opacity surrounding the operational command of the joint forces when over 20,000 security forces across agencies were deployed.

This operation, called Operation Sankalp and later denied by the State Home Minister Vijay Sharma, struggled to find its footing in the mainstream media amidst the ongoing crisis at the border being tackled by the Indian military in response to the killing of 26 persons at Pahalgam, a major tourist spot in Kashmir. Yet, in Chhattisgarh, the war-like situation persisted for nearly three weeks and the spill-over continues with reports of over 24,000 security forces having been deployed, many brought in via Air Force helicopters, to execute Union Home Minister Amit Shah's public declaration to rid the country of Maoists by March 31st, 2026.

Anti-Naxal operations took a severe turn since 2024 where body counts apparently became the sole focus. These operations continued alongside largescale ‘surrenders and rehabilitation’ of Maoist cadres including calls for peace from several quarters. What makes the operation at Karregutta particularly concerning is its timing. The operation was launched right when the CPI (Maoist) party had unilaterally declared ceasefire (except in defence) and agreed for peace talks. Their first letter of appeal came on 28th March, and the operation was launched on 21st April despite ongoing peace overtures since January 2024. Paramilitary forces cordoned off the entire area around the Karregutta Hills for three weeks, with officials citing difficult terrain as justification for the extended operation.

Official communications about the operation have been contradictory and inconsistent. On the morning of May 10, Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Vishnu Singh Deo said 22 Maoists had been killed. The same evening, however, Home Minister Sharma, also a Deputy Chief Minister, staunchly denied both the Operation Sankalp and the number of bodies recovered—22. This direct contradiction between the two topmost leaders of the government of Chhattisgarh revealed lack of coordination at best, and delegitimization at worst, but the utter callousness regarding the killing by paramilitary forces was unmistakable.

An alarming trend in the last two years has been the celebration of killings over attempts at arrests, despite investigations revealing the targeting of unarmed locals, whether common villagers or individuals allied to Maoists. In this case, body counts fluctuated from 22 to 26, then 20, and finally to 31 individuals described as ‘uniformed dead Maoists’ further loosely adding that several senior Maoists are suspected to be either dead or injured, thus leaving space for further manipulations.

Former Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel has meanwhile raised serious concerns regarding this anti-Naxal operation that reportedly resulted in 22 casualties. Baghel highlighted several inconsistencies in the government's account, including deleted social media posts, conflicting statements from officials, and a concerning lack of transparency. The Congress leader specifically noted that the current Chief Minister's congratulatory tweet to the security forces was deleted within hours, while Home Minister Vijay Sharma publicly stated that 'this operation is not Operation Sankalp,' further complicating the official narrative. Baghel has called for the immediate release of factual details, including identities of the deceased, their affiliations, and post-mortem reports to maintain public trust in security operations.

The three weeks under consideration saw ceaseless shelling across the area with scant regard for the people living there, whose livelihood depends on those very forests, and the terror it would inflict on the people. Unofficial footage released circulated on local news channels and social media brazenly showed helicopters landing, raining down heavy artillery aimed apparently at the forests below, and the unfurling of the Indian flag. If these methods were being used to execute Union HM Shah's mission, then international law dictates that this be declared civil war, necessitating concomitant rules of war.

Moreover, when the media reached the hospital where the bodies were produced for identification by family members, they were met with maggot-infested bodies, some well beyond recognition, despoiled due to complete lack of effort to preserve them, postmortem. The list of photographs and details provided by the police reveal bodies that are as young as 16.

The parallel operation by the Greyhounds at the Chhattisgarh-Telangana border, where three Greyhound personnel lost their lives, is being played down while the number of Maoists allegedly killed in Chhattisgarh went up from 22 to 31, with many likely to be civilians caught in a crossfire between the different security forces. The reports reveal an embarrassing display of indiscipline and condemnable regard for lives of those witness to this blatant incompetence.  

Even the number of security personnel injured during the operation was concealed until the press conference on the 11th May, when it was vaguely shared that 18 jawans were injured. Queries on the nature of injuries suffered by the jawans were covered up stating ‘security reasons’

Finally, while the government had been making overtures for peace talks and the CPI (Maoist) had clearly agreed, an operation of this scale, in a long-standing Maoist base, reveals the true nature of the state’s policy, rendering conciliation and trust between the combating forces virtually unimaginable. The sheer scale of the joint operation, the ostentatious declaration of success and the triumphalist press conference—together appear to be a face-saving exercise for both the paramilitary and the central and state government facing questions regarding accountability on many fronts.

The most egregious violation of the dignity of the dead, whoever they may be, in direct violation of the Geneva Convention and the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), reveals a distinct savagery in the conduct of the paramilitary forces deployed in Central India, where the adivasis and other indigenous people are mistreated even after death. This should enrage every democratic voice in the country.

Our demands:

1. Independent Investigation by a team of Democratic/Human Rights activists headed by a retired Supreme Court and/or High Court judges.

2. Declaration of the ongoing war in the name of Anti-Maoist operations as a Civil War to be monitored by UN, and other international human rights bodies.

3. Stringent action against the personnel responsible for inhumane treatment of the dead bodies.

4. Immediate end to Operation Kagaar and announcement of ceasefire.

5. Initiation of Peace Talks with the CPI (Maoist) with a genuine effort to resolve the questions pertaining to the movement.

On behalf of the Coordination Committee for Peace,

Kavita Srivastava

+91 93515 62965

Kranti Chaitanya
 +91 99122 20044

 Dr MF Gopinath

+91 79935 84903