Jharkhand’s ancient mountain, known as “Buddha Pahad”,Buddha Pahad is an area located in Jharkhand, approximately 150 kilometers away from the state capital, Ranchi. Situated alongside the Naxal-affected Latehar and Garhwa districts, this region was freed from the grip of ‘Red Terror’ by security forces after three decades. The borders of this area also extend into the neighboring state of Chhattisgarh.
Budha pahad history
In fact, the police are running an anti-Naxal campaign on the Buddha Pahad of Jharkhand. Under this operation named “Operation Octopus”, the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) achieved significant success once again on Saturday. During the joint campaign of CRPF and police, nearly 120 IEDs planted by Naxals in the jungles of Buddha Pahad have been seized. CRPF reported that based on a secret information from the dense forests of Jokpani in Buddha Pahad, during the joint operation of CRPF’s Cobra Battalion and district police on Saturday, 120 IED bombs along with Naxal literature and wireless sets were recovered from the jungle.
Buddha Pahad is a favorable place for Naxals.
This is the oldest and largest mountain in the jungles of Jharkhand. That’s why it’s called “Buddha Pahad”. It is considered the safest place for Naxals. It is situated in a very dense and rugged area, so Naxals easily reside here. This area used to be the biggest stronghold of Naxals. They used to keep IED bombs here so that they could be detonated in explosions as soon as security forces arrived. According to information, all the recovered IEDs were diffused on the spot. After this, a search operation is still being carried out in the forests. The entire operation was conducted jointly with the CRPF’s 172 Battalion and 203 Cobra Battalion along with the Jharkhand Police.
200 bombs were recovered in Operation Octopus. It is noteworthy that nearly 200 IEDs were recovered from the same area before this. Actually, during the Operation Octopus launched to make Buddha Pahad Naxal-free, since the establishment of a temporary camp by the CRPF’s battalion on Buddha Pahad, Naxals have left their safe haven and fled. This is why continuous search operations are being conducted in the areas of this jungle spread over a large area, and explosive materials are being recovered. The mountains, forests, rocky rivers are the identity and heritage of Jharkhand. For a large population of tribals, these mountains and forests are not only a means of livelihood but also a matter of pride.
The fight for water, forests, and land has been going on for decades here. Among all these, when the mention of Buddha Pahad of Palamu with its palash, laha, and mahua trees is made, a different picture emerges.
That picture is of the Naxals’ base and the sprawling area of terror spread over several miles. Buddha Pahad is once again in the headlines due to Naxal violence. Recently, six soldiers of the Jharkhand Police were killed in a Naxalite landmine explosion.
Naxals have also looted police weapons. In the incident, the antennas of the police’s anti-landmine vehicle were blown away.
Onam Setu
A bridge named ‘Onam Setu’ was built for ‘Lanka Dahan’, albeit in a similar fashion as the construction of Ram Setu over the sea. Just as Ram Setu was constructed for the burning of Lanka, a bridge was built on Buddha Pahad with the same intention. It was named Onam Setu because the day it was constructed happened to be the festival of Onam. Additionally, a bridge was also constructed over the Tetu River. The construction of Onam Setu marked a new phase in the fight against Naxalism, as security forces not only established pickets in Tisri but also in Navatoli. As a result, movement of Naxalites in the area came to a complete halt, and now the villagers are living in peace. Barhesar’s Station Officer Ranjeet Kumar Yadav recalls that this village was once referred to as a Naxalite village.
