Bastar 2.0: Calm returns, trust remains a work in progress

Peace has returned to the villages once ravaged by Maoism. But trust hasn't.

Deepa Markam (19) -the second student from her village to qualify for the NEET medical entrance examination-grew up amid uncertainty in Potali village after Maoists killed her family members on suspicion of being police informers. For families like hers, accepting former rebels back into society is complicated.

And then there is the soft-spoken Phagni. Once part of the Maoist operations, she now serves orders at Cafe Pandum with a pleasant smile. The bounty on her head has been converted into 'rehabilitation assistance' by the government. Yet, she is uncertain if she will ever receive the full amount. And more importantly, whether her own community will ever fully accept her.


The stories of Deepa and Phagni define the silent conflict that now simmers in the former Maoist stronghold of Bastar.

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On March 31, India declared itself free from Maoist insurgency. The government's war with Maoists may have 'officially' ended, but rebuilding trust among villagers, security forces and surrendered Maoists remains a challenge.

Rifles to Rehabilitation

At a modest workshop at the District Project Livelihood College in Dantewada, Mohan alias Azad Kadti (32), once a divisional committee member of the Maoists' Kalahandi Area Committee, is learning a new trade. A man who once helped lay landmines is now being trained to instal tap water pipelines. For Kadti, the transition from being an insurgent to civilian is just not about acquiring a vocational skill. It is about rebuilding a life interrupted by years of conflict.

Reflecting on why many villagers once gravitated towards the Maoist movement, he says: "People in rural and forest areas need only three things-hospitals, schools, and food and water," he told ET.

Having returned to his village after years of being underground, Kadti says little has changed.

Like many surrendered cadres, Kadti says the years spent in the forests have left them uncertain about their future. "What if there is a change in government? What happens to rehab initiatives," he asks.

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The Chhattisgarh government has prepared a rehabilitation plan for nearly 3,000 surrendered cadres with an initial allocation of ₹20 crore for skill development, education and livelihood support.

Change in profiles

Laxman Mandavi (25), used to carry a gun as he was the bodyguard of Maoist leader T Vasudev Rao alias Rupesh. Today, he carries a tray as a server and doubles up as a janitor at Cafe Pandum in Bastar.

October 2025 marked a watershed moment in the decades-old insurgency in Dandakaranya when 210 Maoist cadres surrendered together. Leading the group was Rupesh, a Central Committee member of the banned CPI (Maoist).

Mandavi was among those who laid down arms. A native of Gungam village on the Narayanpur-Bijapur border, Mandavi says: "In 2005-06, during the Salwa Judum campaign, our house was burnt down. Many houses in our village were set on fire, crops were destroyed, villagers were beaten and two people were killed. In 2011, when I was 11 years old, I joined the organisation along with my elder brother."

Mandavi spent nearly 14 years in the Maoist ranks, initially working in Indravati before becoming Rupesh's personal security guard between 2015 and 2017 and carried a bounty of ₹8 lakh on him.

Mandavi says the beginning of the end came in 2025, when the insurgency found itself under unprecedented pressure from expanding security operations. Senior leaders, including Rupesh, began telling cadres that it was time to "return to the mainstream".

Jal Jungle Jameen

These contrasting realities lie at the heart of "Bastar 2.0"-the government's ambitious attempt to transform the spirit of the slogan "Jal, Jungle, Jameen" from a rallying cry of insurgency into a blueprint for sustainable, community-led development. For that vision to succeed, it must address the pain of victims with the aspirations of those seeking redemption.