CHENNAI: Four months after Chhattisgarh declared armed Naxalism completely eliminated, the scars of the insurgency remain visible across the State but in the Bastar region, a group of young women rescued from the Naxal movement are slowly rebuilding their lives, with a helping hand from Tamil Nadu’s Tirupur.
A Tirupur-based garment manufacturer gave orders to a factory in Chhattisgarh to make men’s inner-wear. Working at this factory are women rescued from the Naxal movement and brought into rehabilitation programmes.
For these women, the orders from Tamil Nadu are more than just a livelihood opportunity as it helps them begin a new life after years of violence, fear and isolation.
The change is striking in Chhattisgarh, a State that officially declared its fight against armed Naxalism over on March 31, meeting the deadline set by the Centre and the State government to dismantle the Left-wing extremist insurgency.
Visiting Chhattisgarh to know more about the ground realities four months after the Union government’s declaration, our first stop was Raipur, the State capital. The city is undergoing rapid development, with new shopping malls, hotels, residential apartments and commercial buildings spouting like mushrooms after a spell of rain. Along with this are also other vacant commercial buildings that reflect the challenges businesses continue to face.
The roads, meanwhile, are crowded with mining tipper trucks, a reminder of the importance of the mining economy to Chhattisgarh. But it was the conversations with ordinary residents that revealed another side.
Almost every person the DT Next team spoke to for even five minutes brought up Naxalism at some point in the conversation. While younger generations appear to be looking forward to a more peaceful and developed future, many people above the age of 40 still carry memories of the violence.
There is an unmistakable sense that Chhattisgarh is trying to wipe the bloodstains of its past from its history.
The journey then took us to Bastar, a region that was once one of the major centres of Naxal activity. The former Bastar district was spread over 39,114 sq km after the formation of Madhya Pradesh, making it one of the largest districts in India at the time (larger than Kerala). The region was later divided into several districts, including Kondagaon.
Even today, the security apparatus in the region is impossible to miss. Circuit houses and other government facilities remain under heavy armed security. In Kondagaon, we met Superintendent of Police Pankaj Chandra, an IPS officer, who said the State had now achieved a Naxal-free status, but the victory had come at a heavy cost.
A nine-year-old girl was brought into the Naxal system and was trained to have an extraordinary and disturbing familiarity with weapons. She had acquired the ability to assemble and dismantle an AK-47 even while blindfoldedKondagaon Collector Nupur Rashi Panna
“More than 120 security personnel were killed during operations between 2024 and 2026, while around 1,200 Naxalites and Maoists were killed during the eradication process. Around 3,000 cadres surrendered,” he said.
The end of an armed conflict does not automatically erase the consequences of decades of insurgency. Kondagaon Collector Nupur Rashi Panna explained how deeply Naxalism had penetrated the social fabric of Bastar with the story of a nine-year-old girl rescued by security forces.
“The child had been brought into the Naxal system at a very young age and had developed an extraordinary and disturbing familiarity with weapons,” she recalled. “She had acquired the ability to assemble and dismantle an AK-47 even while blindfolded.”
The girl was among the children rescued from the Naxal ranks and brought into rehabilitation. “She was not the only one,” Panna explained. “Hundreds of girls had been rescued from similar circumstances.”
Their pasts were marked by violence, but rehabilitation programmes are now attempting to give them a completely different future.
The end of an armed conflict does not automatically erase the consequences of decades of insurgency
The difficult task is ensuring that people who were caught in the conflict, particularly children recruited or raised within insurgent groups, are able to return to mainstream society
After spending time in rehabilitation centres with assistance from women from self-help groups, an initiative of the Chhattisgarh government, many women have been trained in various skills and moved into employment.
It was at one such facility that we met the women who had been rescued. Their identities have been concealed for their safety and welfare.
Inside the factory, the atmosphere was far removed from the forests and armed camps associated with their past. Machines were running, workers were engaged in production and the women were earning an income through regular employment. And behind this transition is an unlikely connection: Tirupur.
A garment manufacturing company from Tamil Nadu’s textile hub has placed orders with the facility. The women are manufacturing men’s inner-wear, which is then procured by the Tirupur-based company.
For the women, the connection with Tirupur represents more than a commercial arrangement. It is a bridge between rehabilitation and economic independence.
One of the women working at the factory told us that she feels safe working there. “Since most of the employees are women,” she said, “we do not face major difficulties at the workplace. More importantly, the daily wage of Rs 300 is helping us gradually improve our economic condition.”
For women who once lived under the shadow of armed violence, earning a daily wage through legitimate employment represents a fundamental change in their lives.
The story also highlights an important challenge facing post conflict rehabilitation. Eliminating armed insurgency is only the first step. The more difficult task is ensuring that people who were caught in the conflict, particularly children recruited or raised within insurgent groups, are able to return to mainstream society.
Rehabilitation requires education, psychological support, vocational training, employment and, above all, a sense of security. The women at the factory appear to be taking that journey one day at a time.
The scars of Bastar’s past cannot be erased overnight. Nor can the fear that remains in the minds of people who witnessed years of violence disappear simply because an official deadline has been met.
But inside a modest factory in Kondagaon, a different story is taking shape. The hands that once knew the mechanics of an AK-47 are now learning the mechanics of a sewing machine. And, an order travelling from Tirupur to Chhattisgarh is helping these women stitch together something far more valuable than garments - a second chance at life.
For Chhattisgarh, the declaration of a Naxalism free state may mark the end of an armed chapter. For these women, however, the real victory will be the day their past no longer defines their future.