Lower thirds:

00:02 Report by Adil Bhat & Richard Kujur
00:34 Sanjay Paul | DRG Sub Inspector
01:15 Sanjay Paul | DRG Sub Inspector
02:09 Sukli Oyem | Ramesh's mother
02:46 Raje Aayam | Crossfire victim
03:32 Smruthik Rajanal | Additional Superintendent of Police, Chhattisgarh
03:54 Amit Barsa | Former Maoist insurgent

Script

00:02- 00:19

This special police unit is patrolling in the heart of Chhattisgarh state in central India.

Its mission is to track down Maoist insurgents, locally known as the Naxals. 

Regular operations are now routine - aimed at crushing the decades-old insurgency.
 
00:21- 00:32 
Today, commando officer Sanjay Paul is leading the operation in these dense forests. He says they are a perfect hiding place for the Naxal fighters and their ambushes. 

SOT (Hindi)
Sanjay Paul, DRG Sub Inspector 

00;33- 00;48
“We’ve received a tip-off about Naxal movement in the area. We are patrolling and moving ahead. Depending on the situation, we will search the entire area. We will return after taking the appropriate action.” 

00:49- 1:08 Courtesy: Raunak Shivhare 

The Maoist movement in India started in 1967 when the villages of Naxalbari in the state of West Bengal rebelled against landowners. Since then, the Maoists have waged a shadow war, claiming to fight for the rights of marginalized indigenous groups. 

1:08-1:13
In early February the Indian government promised to eliminate the Maoists by next year. 

SOT (Hindi)
Sanjay Paul, DRG, Sub Inspector 
1:14- 1:30

“Since this is a Naxal-dominated area, there is always a danger of ambush. We have to tread carefully as there are landmines and bombs planted in this region. We return to our base only after completing the military operation.”

1:31- 1:40 1:31-1:34 Courtesy: Raunak Shivhare 
These operations have left a heavy toll on local indigenous communities - the Adivasis as they are called in India, live amid constant fear.

1:42- 2:07
We travelled 20 miles through dense forest to reach Bodgha village, where families are mourning their dead.

Sukli Oyem, mother of Ramesh, is remembering her son who was killed by a bullet in a crossfire between security forces and Naxal insurgents last year.

On that day, Ramesh, a farmer, was on his way to bathe in the river when the bullet hit him. 

SOT (Gondi)---
Sukli Oyem, Ramesh’s mother.

2:08- 2:22
“After my son’s killing, we fear leaving our homes, and my life has changed. Now whenever the police enter our area, villagers, like me, hide inside their houses. During encounters our life comes to a halt. 

2:24- 2:44
Sukli is not alone. She takes us to her neighbor, Raje Aayam, who was shot in the back inside her house during the hunt for Maoists.

Raje tells us that commandos barged into her house suspecting Maoists were inside and opened fire while she was feeding her child

SOT (Gondi)
Raje Aayam, crossfire victim
2:45- 2:59

“After the injuries my body is not working. I am not able to do farming or go to the jungle for work. My body has been almost paralysed   by the injury and I am barely able to walk.”

3:00- 3:13
Locals say the line between insurgents and civilians has blurred. Many accuse military and police units of failing to distinguish between the two.

But the government’s message is clear – surrender or be wiped out. 

3:15- 3:31

This hardline approach has triggered a wave of surrenders.

Today at this police station in the Bastar District, a dozen of Naxals have turned themselves in - some disillusioned, others exhausted, and many drawn by promises of rehabilitation:

SOT (English) 
Smruthik Rajanal, Additional Superintendent of Police, Chhattisgarh
3:31-3 :45
 “So currently the government is having new Naxal rehabilitation policy, where they will be given proper training, and with regards to any of the trades that they choose – driving, masonry, plumbing or electrician work, anything that they are interested in.”

3:46- 3:52 

Among the Maoists who surrendered is Amit Barsa, who spent 12 years on the frontlines.
 
SOT (Hindi)
Amit Barsa, Former Maoist Insurgent
3:52- 4:07

 “I surrendered at a time when the situation is very critical. The police are deployed deep inside, and you cannot survive in such an environment. I joined the Maoist movement because I was influenced by the Naxal ideology.” 

4:07- 4:17

The number of fighters hiding in these jungles is now dwindling.

But the consequences of the government’s campaign can be felt in the villages as well. 

4:19- 4:30
At home, Sukli Oyem carries her grief in silence. Her son is gone, and so is her trust in both sides of this long brutal war.

---END---