Born out of 'desperation', DRG is first line against Maoists in Bastar. Tech gives them an edge

The setting of the room, having a massive map on the wall and computers replete with sophisticated apps, can mislead outsiders into thinking that it is located in a flourishing urban centre, and not Narayanpur, one of India's major Naxal-affected districts where there are only two telecom firms, including the state-owned BSNL.
The navigation app allows users to navigate without the internet or offline. Originally meant for trekkers, it is used widely by militaries worldwide, including the Russian army in its ongoing war in Ukraine.
Narayanpur/Jagdalpur/Dantewada: Nearly half a dozen security personnel in camouflage uniform are locked on mobile phones in a well-lit room, minutes after the sun sets in Narayanpur district of Chhattisgarh. They double check coordinates of the location they have marked for operation on AlpineQuest, a mobile application, for routes to their area of operation.
Earlier during the day, DRG constable Somnath Samrath had just come out of a briefing session held by his senior. The 12th passout may not be well-versed in English, but he is adept with AlpineQuest operating it without any hiccup.
'SP sir (Prabhat Kumar) and Robinson sir (ASP, Operations Robinson Guria) have taught us how to use AlpineQuest. Now, we follow the routes on this app. Even those who were earlier with the Maoists and are barely educated, can operate such apps and understand Google Earth and find coordinates without any trouble,' the Narayanpur native tells ThePrint, flaunting the app on his smartphone.
Samrath is among the 5,000 jawans of District Reserve Guard (DRG) in Chhattisgarh. Posted in Bastar's Narayanpur district, he is a member of the group that felled Communist Party of India (Maoist) general secretary Nambala Keshava Rao alias Basavaraju last month.
Established in 2011 and formally raised in its current form in 2015, the DRG recruits local youths to tackle the Left Wing Extremism (LWE) in Chhattisgarh. Officials point out that the DRG's familiarity with terrain, languages spoken by villagers deep inside jungles, and unmatched endurance set it apart from the Central Armed Police Forces (CAPFs).
'Predominantly deployed in home districts, the DRG jawans have proven to be the government's most accurate eyes and ears on the ground. Some of them come from villages deep inside what were once Maoist strongholds and bring their knowledge of terrain and familiarity with the language,' Director General of Police (DGP) Arun Dev Gautam tells ThePrint.
In 10 years since its inception, the DRG has struck Maoist cadres deep inside the jungles of Abujmarh, Indravati National Park area and breached terrain, areas once considered as impenetrable for security forces.
Calling them the 'premium strike force' of the Bastar region, Inspector General (IG) Sundarraj Pattilingam says the DRG's awareness of local factors such as terrain, jungle, dialects, and customs gives it an edge over other forces.
Additional Director General, anti-Naxal operations, Vivekanand Sinha says that while the DRG was always effective, the improvement in underlying factors, such as the crackdown on Maoist sympathisers, has made operations remarkably effective.
'The results that they are delivering are the outcome of overall improvement in the security apparatus in the Naxal zones as well as their improvement,' he tells ThePrint.
Also Read: In aftermath of Bastar operation, an eerie silence, speculation & fear of reprisal from Maoists
Rising from a setback
Precisely 45 days after the Supreme Court struck down the appointment of Special Police Officers (SPOs) as 'unconstitutional,' the Chhattisgarh government, on 19 August 2011, brought in the Chhattisgarh Auxiliary Armed Police Forces Ordinance that set the rules for recruiting assistant constables.
The SPOs were armed tribal youths recruited to fight the Maoists in the deep pockets where police were unable to reach or protect civilians. They were appointed as part of the Salwa Judum, a government-supported movement in Bastar division to take on the Maoists.
However, as complaints of human rights violations grew, especially after the torching of houses in three villages of Sukma district, civil rights activists moved the Supreme Court challenging the constitutional validity of the Salwa Judum as well as the use of SPOs against the Maoists.
Through the August 2011 ordinance, the government accommodated many of these SPOs as assistant constables, based on eligibility and training. Among the five criteria set for recruitment rules, local residency, awareness of the local area, topography, and familiarity with local dialect were a must.
The selection list was prepared based on a 100-mark physical efficiency test and a 15-mark interview conducted by a selection committee chaired by an Additional Superintendent of Police-rank officer of a district.
The new recruits were to be imparted six months of training in arms such as SLR, INSAS, and LMG, as well as in map reading, fieldcraft and tactics, among others.
There was no formal nomenclature until May 2015, when the Chhattisgarh government accepted the police force's request to sanction additional posts under the DRG. The Raman Singh-led BJP government approved the recruitment of 600 DRG personnel in three districts of Bijapur, Dantewada, and Sukma on 14 May that year.
Before 2015, these personnel worked under various names such as crack teams and E-30 (Elite-30). As their success surpassed the operational performance of the district police, there was a demand for similar settings across other districts in Bastar.
However, the real impetus behind the formation of district-specific specialised units started after the 2013 Darbha attack in which the Maoists wiped out almost the entire Congress state leadership, officials said.
'Political killings were not common before that incident. It sparked a widespread alarm among who's who in both Raipur and Delhi. That was a watershed moment in the Moaist fight when the government realised that the state had to fight the armed cadres with different tactics and once again relied on tribals,' a police officer told ThePrint.
Faced with the daunting task of holding two elections—assembly polls in 2013 and general elections in 2014—in a short period, the Chhattisgarh government appointed the current DGP Gautam as the Bastar Range IG that year.
In the meanwhile, the then UPA government deployed more than 500 CAPF companies to maintain law and order. For the anti-Naxal operations, though, Chhattisgarh was not sure of the CAPF's prowess in guerrilla warfare. And hence, district police chiefs at their levels constituted small teams to carry out quick operations. They hit areas Maoist presence and made a rapid withdrawal to avoid ambushes.
'These young men with the knowledge of terrain, language, and idea to move inside jungles, guide the forces who came from outside and confirm the input on the ground due to communication in local dialect performed notably better than the regular force in anti-Naxal operations. This laid the foundation of today's DRG,' Gautam told ThePrint.
Former Director General R.K.Vij, who had seen the shortfall of security forces in the Naxal zone, says that DRG was an idea that had already been delayed for several years.
'There was already a shortage of personnel at police stations in the Naxal-affected districts. There was a limit to the number of personnel who could be pulled out from police stations without compromising their security itself,' Vij recalls.
Women stand shoulder to shoulder
Kumari Damini Uikey is among the dozen women DRG personnel sharpening skills of laying cordon and search operations in the forest. In Narayanpur, she is one of around 100 women personnel who are nicknamed 'Bastar Fighters'.
Damini is proud to be a DRG member. Having joined the force in September 2022, she has to her credit around 15 encounters, including the gunfight in which Basavraju was brought down.
'Earlier, we used to be fearful of the operations, and it was a challenge to carry load for long periods, but now we have familiarised ourselves by taking part in so many encounters,' Damini tells ThePrint.
The 25-year-old from Narayanpur is the first woman from her family to be associated with security forces. 'All in the family supported me because I love the uniform. I always wanted to join the forces. I feel proud to hold the rifle in my hand. I never wanted to be in the regular force. I know that we are rewriting the history of this region,' she says, with an AK-47 rifle in hand.
On the other side of the Keshkal valley in South Bastar's Dantewada, her batchmate Hina Yadav has a similar, if not a more compelling story. 'My uncle was in the Chhattisgarh Police. I had heard about the DRG and was always looking to join the force,' she tells ThePrint during a break from training session on a newly installed shooting stimulator.
The daily life of DRG women personnel, the 25-year-old says, is different and more challenging than what appears on the ground.
In Dantewada, she is among around 100 women DRG jawans, locally known as 'Danteshwari Fighters', at the town's revered temple of Goddess Danteshwari. Similarly, an all-women DRG group in Sukma is known as 'Durga Fighters'.
Women personnel like Hina and Damini form nearly 15 percent of the DRG's overall strength in Bastar. Senior police officers hail their work ethic, hard work and point out that since their induction, the complaints and allegations of tribal women have drastically reduced.
'There were complaints of harassment against jawans in the past. With the induction of women, such complaints have dropped without compromising operational efficiency of the force,' a senior police officer says.
This happened after the erstwhile Bhupesh Baghel-led Congress government introduced new recruitment rules for hiring Bastar youth in 2021. Around 2,800 were employed in the seven division districts, of which 15 percent of the vacancies were reserved for women.
Newly promoted inspector and group commander Sitaram Sarkar, who just led a team of around 35-40 personnel in Narayanpur for a simulation exercise, says that women have proved to be no less than male counterparts and that their performances exceeded expectations.
Overall, recruitment done through Bastar Fighters and directly from police stations in districts accounts for nearly 75-80 percent of the total DRG personnel currently operating in Bastar division, IG Sundarraj tells ThePrint.
Another DRG feature is the assimilation of former surrendered Maoists like Raju Kara in its ranks, though not in large numbers. Over 3,000 Maoist cadres have surrendered in the Bastar region itself since 2020.
At the Dantewada district police line, Kara has no qualms about finding the Maoist ideology compelling when he was young. But, more than anything, his family, along with dozens of other families, were forced to send their wards to the outfit, he says.
Educated only till Class 5, the 28-year-old says that around 60 people from his village had joined the Maoist ranks in 2011. He left the banned outfit in November 2020.
'Now no one wants to join them. My village has roads, electricity, and an anganwadi, among other government facilities,' Kara, who was once part of a Maoist area committee, tells ThePrint.
Not all surrendered Maoist cadres have been inducted into the force, a senior police officer asserts. 'You can compare the data on the number of Maoists surrendered in the last five years and the overall DRG strength to understand the situation.'
The surrendered cadres, the officer adds, do not exceed 20 percent of the DRG personnel deployed in seven districts—Bastar, Kanker, Kondagaon, Narayanpur, Bijapur, Sukma, and Dantewada—of the Bastar region.
'Surrendered cadres were integrated based on their knowledge about the whereabouts and field tactics of the Maoists. But, there is an unspoken rule for recruitment—it must be only those who surrendered voluntarily before the forces,' another senior officer said.
After surrender, these former cadres are considered for induction on a case-by-case basis. First, they undergo an initial period in which they work as 'Gopniya Sainik,' wherein their awareness and knowledge about the Maoists are put into test. During this period, they are paid a monthly remuneration of Rs 12,000.
Also Read: Sudhakar was last of 3 top Maoist leaders who took part in failed 2004 peace talks with Andhra govt
No time for rest
Around 6 am on a Sunday, 80 personnel converge on the Lalbagh Ground at the heart of Jagdalpur, housing the Bastar district headquarters. Most of them belong to the Bastar Fighters.
Led by their group commander, Uma Shankar Shukla, they begin their day with warm-up and strength training exercises. The first leg of the activity lasts for around 40 minutes, followed by a sports session. This is then followed by drills. The routine is followed broadly across all districts and units of the DRG in Bastar, save those teams to be deployed for operations or returning from action.
Led by their group commander, a group of 35 personnel, including eight women, enter a patch of jungle to carry out a mock drill replicating a cordon and search operation. Riding motorcycles, they park them on one side of the road and enter the jungle to take positions in no time.
'This is our daily routine. There is no rest day. Either team is in the jungle, conducting operations or sharpening their skill, such as quickly forming a wide cordon, carrying out search operations, and counterattacking,' the commander tells ThePrint.
Later, the personnel assemble at district headquarters, where a brainstorming session awaits them.
The commander is not completely pleased and makes his dissatisfaction known to his troops. 'Was our cordon perfect today?' he asks the team at a large hall which has portraits of slain DRG personnel and a list of Maoist cadres on the run on the outer walls.
The DRG group accepts that it could not lay a perfect cordon to help the team carrying out search operations. The commander then gives his opinion. Another such session takes place in the evening to revisit past failures and successes.
'These daily drills make them perfect when the actual operation takes place. We sit down daily and revise the steps taken on a particular day and what remains to be achieved during the drill,' the DRG commander tells ThePrint.
Such SOPs, he asserts, have resulted in achieving the results of the last 17 months.
Turning the corner
The number of Maoists killed in encounters since 2024 is more than the four years between 2020 and 2023 when the toll stood at 141. Last year, it was 217 while 186, including Nambala Keshava Rao, have been killed, so far.
Senior police officers point out that results in anti-Naxal operations, primarily driven by DRGs, were at least a decade in the making. The assistant constables recruited after the 2011 ordinance were imparted formal training on handling sophisticated weapons.
'Their training took place at the Police Training School in Raipur and Counter Terrorism and Jungle Warfare (CTJW) College, Kanker just like any another police personnel of the state,' a senior officer says.
The training was taken to the next level after the DRG formalisation in 2015. The Chhattisgarh Police, in coordination with the Ministry of Home Affairs, began to send the DRG recruits in batches to the CTJW College.
The 40-day training sessions were overseen by SP-rank officers at the start, middle, and end of the period. 'Another underlying aspect about these troops was a lack of exposure to the world outside Bastar and their remote villages. They were sent in groups via flight to Mizoram. This was an investment and a leap of faith by the government in these young men. It translated positively for their morale,' a senior police officer said.
This specialised training continues with additional training by Greyhounds commandos in Andhra Pradesh. An increase in overall strength after the induction of Bastar Fighters and their specialised training enabled the security establishment to finetune operations even better.
From 2023 onwards, the DRG started to rely more on technical intelligence, a departure from the past reliance on human intelligence that were mostly collected from villagers or gleaned from surrendered Naxals.
Now, the district police benefit from an enhanced intelligence gathering mechanism, enabling it to corroborate the intelligence inputs from various sources. All districts in Batsar have developed robust communication machinery and infrastructure to relay messages and instructions related to operations to the last personnel on the ground.
Additionally, a strategic shift followed in mode of operations. From a scattered approach, a precise approach of Cordon, Search and Attack (CSA) became the norm in which forces first focused on encircling and making as big a cordon as possible.
'This strategy requires a lot of personnel and hence over the last couple of years, almost all the operations are done by DRG, Special Task Force and CRPF (Central Reserve Police Force). Several neighbouring districts take part in one operation to avoid any loose end,' a police officer explains. 'Moreover, improvement in intelligence gathering has helped in laying specific cordons instead of dispersing troops in different directions.'
Explaining the chain of command, senior officers say that if inputs come from DRG ranks or human intelligence network, it is discussed with seniors at the rank of IG, Deputy Inspector General, and above in Raipur.
Every factor, including the viability of an operation, the terrain, distance from the headquarters, and possible routes to the area where the Maoists are suspected to be present, are considered after corroborating the inputs.
Once the district superintendents (SPs) are given the go-ahead for the operation, they rope in group commanders heading smaller sub-units in the DRG. The SPs, accompanied by an Additional SP rank officer, decide entry and exit routes and other aspects of an operation.
After the plan is locked, the group commanders brief their personnel on the specifics. 'The technological advancements have improved so much that every member of the operating team has the coordinates of the area in the form of KML coordinates in their phones,' a senior officer privy to planning operations tells ThePrint. 'During the operation, just a click on those coordinates takes them to the specific location and areas on the encrypted platform AlpineQuest.'
KML is a file format for displaying geographic data in the form of longitude, latitude, and altitude of a particular location. 'Even surrendered cadres who have not received formal education are adept in making plans on computers and AlpineQuest,' another senior officer says.
(Edited by Tony Rai)
Also Read: Abujhmarh op shut Basavaraju chapter of Maoist insurgency. How homegrown DRG gave forces edge

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