ITBP Establishes Nelangur COB, Breaches Abujhmad’s Core in Deepest Push Against Naxals Yet

Chhattisgarh, India — In what officials have termed a game-changing breakthrough in India’s protracted war against Left-Wing Extremism (LWE), the Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP), in coordination with the Chhattisgarh Police (CGP), has established a key Company Operating Base (COB) at Nelangur. The outpost, located at the highly sensitive Chhattisgarh-Maharashtra border in the Narayanpur district, marks the furthest southern expansion by security forces into Abujhmad—a region long considered the ideological and operational heartland of the Naxal insurgency.

The newly established COB represents a critical milestone in force projection and territorial dominance. Officials revealed that the post was set up by personnel of the 41st and 45th Battalions of the ITBP, under the command of the Sector Headquarters in Bhubaneswar. Despite unforgiving terrain and the constant threat of ambush from Naxal cadres, the troops succeeded in navigating and securing a forty-kilometre corridor riddled with landmines, surveillance traps, and hostile activity.

Road to Maharashtra Now One Kilometre Away from Security Forces

This is the first time since the Naxal movement’s rise that such deep penetration has been achieved in the Maad, North Bastar, and West Bastar divisions—zones infamously referred to by insurgents as "liberated territories." The development not only collapses the physical safe havens of insurgents but also sends a strong message regarding the government’s new operational intent in the region.

The new COB is the fifth such establishment since January 2024, reflecting a surge in the tempo of security force assertiveness in Abujhmad. The previous posts—Mohandi, Kodliyar, Kutul, Bedmakoti, and Padamkot—laid the groundwork for this crucial advance into Nelangur. Among these, Kutul was long considered the ‘capital’ of Naxal activities in Abujhmad. Officials state that the speed and coordination of these deployments represent the fastest establishment of COBs in Chhattisgarh’s anti-Naxal campaign history.

Over 100 Surrenders Mark Collapse of Parallel Naxal Governance

The sustained presence of ITBP and police units in these newly captured territories has resulted in an unprecedented number of voluntary surrenders—crossing the 100 mark. Surrendered individuals include not just active militants but also Over-Ground Workers (OGWs), sympathisers, and members of the so-called ‘Jantana Sarkar,’ the shadow governance structure created by Naxals in core areas. These surrenders are not merely symbolic; they mark a tangible psychological and administrative defeat for the insurgency.

Force officials confirmed that the very visibility of security camps—equipped with modern surveillance equipment and patrolling units—has contributed to this cascade of capitulations. As a result, the information vacuum long exploited by Naxals is now being reversed into an intelligence advantage for state forces.

COB to Support Bharatmala Road 130D; Opens Development Corridor

With security dominance now extending into Nelangur, officials assert that the development of the much-delayed Bharatmala highway project—particularly Road No. 130D—is now viable. This crucial stretch aims to connect Kondagaon in Chhattisgarh to Allapalli in Maharashtra, passing through key Naxal-affected hamlets like Kutul and Mohandi. The highway link is expected to not only ease logistics for security forces but also open economic access for thousands of tribal residents long isolated from mainstream infrastructure.

"The Bharatmala project was stuck because we had no road dominance in the Abujhmad centre," said a senior ITBP officer. “Now, with the establishment of the Nelangur COB, we’ve bridged that gap and practically linked central Abujhmad to Maharashtra via secured roadways.”

Strategic Impact on Naxal Logistics and Political Infrastructure

By securing Nelangur and surrounding villages, the state has essentially choked one of the last operational corridors used by Naxal supply lines, political emissaries, and recruitment handlers. As a result, movement between central Abujhmad and Gadchiroli, a key Naxal fallback zone, is now significantly disrupted. Officials believe this pressure could lead to increased desertions, a drop in revenue collection through ‘revolutionary taxes,’ and a split in Naxal rank-and-file cohesion.

More importantly, the groundwork laid by these COBs is paving the way for civilian governance to move in—schools, clinics, and administrative posts—marking a transition from military control to stabilisation.

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