Commando Fighting Maoists in Bastar Cracks UPSC

When Maoists demolished schools, Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) commando Raju Wagh, who converted the security camp into a school and taught alphabets to children, has cleared the Public Service Commission (UPSC) exam with 871st rank.

During his first posting in Chandameta village of Bastar, Raju saw that the schools in the area had been demolished by Maoists and there was no school in the village. After this, he started teaching children in the camp itself, inspired by which the security forces started the initiative of educating children in many security camps of Bastar and this helped the security forces to win the trust of the villagers of Bastar.

Commando Raju is also a part of the biggest operation so far against top Maoists including Hidma, which has been going on for the last four days on the hill of Karregutta on the border of Telangana and Chhattisgarh. He told that he was leaving for the campaign on Monday, when he got the information that he has been selected in UPSC.

Right now his contingent is about seven km away from the encounter site. He has been staying in the forest with his team for four days. At this time the afternoon temperature is around 42 degrees and hot winds are also increasing the challenges. He says, duty is first at this time. After returning from the campaign, he will celebrate the joy of being selected in the exam with friends and family.

Opened the school by closing the corridor of Maoists

In 2020, he was selected for the post of CRPF Assistant Commandant. In 2021, as soon as he got his first posting in the 80th battalion, he got the responsibility of setting up CRPF's forward security post (FOB) in Chandameta of Bastar district.

Chandameta village in the foothills of Tulsidongri used to be a safe haven for the Maoists. Where winning the trust of the villagers was a big challenge. Under community policing in the village, we started providing medicines, ration, essential goods to the villagers and started teaching children by opening a school in the camp itself. This won the trust of the villagers as well as their hearts.