From Jan Adalat to Chaupal: Chhattisgarh Police holds outreach programme in once Naxal-stronghold

A village in Chhattisgarh’s Sukma district that was once associated with Naxal “Jan Adalats” witnessed a markedly different gathering as police personnel and residents sat together to discuss education, roads, electricity, drinking water, healthcare and mobile connectivity. The outreach at Arlampalli was organised under the Sukma Police’s “Niva Duvad Te”, or “At Your Doorstep”, campaign aimed at rebuilding trust and connecting people in remote areas with government departments.

Reaching the village itself illustrated the infrastructure challenges that residents continue to face. With the absence of adequate bridge connectivity and monsoon conditions making travel difficult, security personnel had to cover part of the route by tractor. Police officials said the programme was intended to go beyond security operations and provide residents with an opportunity to directly raise development concerns in an area that has experienced decades of Maoist influence and violence.

From fear to dialogue

Sukma Superintendent of Police Mayank Gurjar said Arlampalli had a long history of Naxal activity, with villagers facing violence and families coming under pressure to provide recruits to the movement. Those opposing the Maoists could face intimidation or violence, while “Jan Adalats” were used as part of the parallel system of authority exercised by the insurgents. The latest gathering, police said, reflected a gradual shift in conversations towards education, infrastructure and development.

Through the outreach initiative, police are attempting to narrow the longstanding trust deficit between security forces and communities in remote areas. Officers interact with villagers, record problems concerning essential services and convey their requirements to the departments responsible for addressing them. The approach seeks to link improvements in security with a stronger government presence rather than treating development and counter-insurgency as separate concerns.

Assistant Superintendent of Police (Naxal Operations) Rohit Shah said Arlampalli had earlier been among the areas seriously affected by Naxal activity. He referred to the influence once exercised by Konta Area Committee military wing commander Mangadu and said the village had seen several people joining Maoist ranks. The situation had now changed sufficiently for police to conduct an open community programme with residents.

Villagers recall violence

The transformation carries particular significance for residents who lived through the earlier period of insurgent violence. Former sarpanch Sodhi Handa recalled an attack on him in 1990, when he was studying in Class 12. He said Naxalites broke both his hands because they feared his education could eventually enable him to challenge their influence. The assault forced him to discontinue his studies.

Handa also recalled an attempt by Maoists to demolish the school in Arlampalli. Villagers resisted the move and succeeded in protecting both the school and the Panchayat Bhawan. He said the increased presence of security personnel in the area had now given residents greater confidence.

Such experiences underline the challenge of restoring normal governance in areas affected by insurgency for decades. A decline in armed violence does not automatically erase years of fear, coercion and mistrust. Regular interaction between residents and government institutions therefore becomes important in establishing confidence that the State’s presence extends beyond security operations.

Development takes centre stage

At the Police Chaupal, residents raised everyday concerns involving roads, bridges and culverts, electricity, mobile networks, education and healthcare. Police officials said these requirements would be taken up with the relevant government departments so that problems identified during the outreach could be addressed.

Essential items were also distributed among villagers as part of civic-action activities. Police personnel provided information on cybercrime and online safety, while residents were encouraged to participate in a cyber-awareness campaign being conducted between August 15 and October 2. Similar outreach programmes are expected to be organised in other remote villages.

The nature of the demands raised at Arlampalli is itself significant. In a region historically discussed primarily through the prism of insurgency and security operations, villagers are increasingly putting forward concerns familiar to communities elsewhere — better roads, reliable electricity, schools, healthcare and connectivity.

Security meets development

The significance of the Arlampalli programme ultimately lies not simply in holding a meeting but in what follows it. For communities that have experienced years of insurgency, confidence in government institutions will depend on whether discussions about roads, bridges, healthcare and education eventually translate into visible improvements.

Police outreach can create an important channel between remote communities and the administration, but lasting change requires different arms of government to follow through on the demands identified during such interactions. Improved security creates the space for development; it cannot substitute for it.

The transition from “Jan Adalat” to Police Chaupal therefore captures one aspect of the changing landscape in southern Chhattisgarh. The more enduring measure of that transformation will be whether villages such as Arlampalli can leave behind the politics of fear and violence and become places where the principal concerns are no longer insurgency and survival, but schools, roads, jobs, healthcare and the ordinary expectations of development.