Hyderabad: Telangana Director General of Police (DGP) CV Anand hoisted the national flag at Karregutta Hills along the Telangana-Chhattisgarh-Odisha border, marking the first time in 50 years that the Tricolour was raised on the Telangana side of the hills, days ahead of Independence Day.
Anand hoisted the flag at an altitude of 650 feet on Monday, August 10, in the dense forest area that had, for decades, served as a major stronghold of the banned Communist Party of India (Maoist) and remained one of the most heavily mined zones under its control.
Karregutta had remained largely inaccessible to government officials for years, functioning as a safe haven for Maoist cadres until security forces gained control of the terrain following an intensified crackdown. The hills, spanning roughly 25 to 50 km with waterfalls, caves and narrow valleys, straddle Bhadradri Kothagudem and Mulugu districts in Telangana and the Bijapur and Sukma districts of Chhattisgarh, and had for years served as a unified command centre for major Maoist formations, including the PLGA’s Battalion No 1.
The Union government’s Operation Kagar, also known as Mission Sankalp, was launched in the region in April 2025 with roughly 24,000 personnel deployed across an area of about 800 sq km, drawing on the Central Reserve Police Force’s (CRPF) CoBRA units, the District Reserve Guard, the Special Task Force and state police forces.
During the operation, security forces had earlier set up temporary base camps and briefly hoisted the national flag at strategic points on the hills as they secured territory. Monday’s ceremony, however, was described by officials as the first formal flag-hoisting on the Telangana side by the state’s top police official.
Construction of new road under way
Anand inspected ongoing road construction work in the remote forest area before unfurling the flag. As a symbol of peace, he also released white doves, in what officials described as marking the transformation of a region long affected by left-wing extremism.
Senior officials from the police, Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF), Forest, Revenue and other departments jointly took part in the visit, signalling the focus on development following the decline in Maoist activity in the area.
700 Maoists surrendered: DGP
Addressing the media, Anand said coordinated operations by the Telangana Police, Greyhounds, Special Police Forces, CRPF, CoBRA units and Chhattisgarh Police had significantly weakened Maoist activity in the region.
He said nearly 700 Maoists had surrendered during Operation Kagar, while several top leaders were killed in encounters and others had returned to the mainstream. Only a handful of Central Committee leaders remained active across the country, he added.
The DGP said the state government was implementing rehabilitation measures for surrendered Maoists, including financial assistance, land allotment and livelihood opportunities, along with continuous monitoring to facilitate their reintegration into society.
Noting that Karregutta held considerable tourism potential, Anand said the government intended to develop the area in accordance with environmental and legal norms. The tar road from Pamunuru to Chalamadava has been completed, he said, and work to lay a blacktopped road would begin shortly.
Facilities such as electricity, mobile connectivity and other basic infrastructure would also be created to promote tourism, he added.
Praise for CRPF, aid for Gutti Koya families
During the visit, the DGP distributed essential commodities to Gutti Koya tribal families residing near the Pamunuru camp and assured them of continued government support. Anand also commended the CRPF, noting that its personnel had been working alongside state police forces for decades in anti-Maoist operations.
He said personnel of the CRPF’s 196th battalion continued to serve in difficult terrain for months at a stretch, away from their families, and that their commitment and professionalism had played a vital role in restoring peace to the region.
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