During the initial stage of the Naxal Movement in the early 1970s, Operation Steeplechase was started. After the 1971 war and state of emergency, Indira Gandhi organized the Indian Army to fight the Naxalites in West Bengal. A combination Army-CRPF-Police operation was conducted. The plan for this operation was to surround the Naxal bastion with an outer Army cordon, an inner CRPF cordon, and local police manning the interior. The operation resulted in the detention of thousands of Naxalites and the death of hundreds of them. It stopped the movement in its tracks and damaged the Naxalite cadres’ network. After being sent to prison, Charu Mazumdar passed away while being held. Only that particular phase of the Naxalite movement was ended by operation steeplechase, which ultimately proved to be
