Context-

Recently, on October 28, 2025, Bandi Prakash, a Maoist leader who played a key financial role in the Maoist organization, surrendered in Telangana. Just before this incident, on October 15, 258 Naxalites also surrendered in Chhattisgarh and Maharashtra. The central government declared Abujhmad and North Bastar in Chhattisgarh, once considered strongholds of Naxalite terror, free from Naxalite influence. This development reflects the weakening hold of Naxalite groups and the growing faith in the Indian Constitution. The Government of India is committed to completely eradicating Naxalism by March 31, 2026.

Background

For decades, Naxalism or Left Wing Extremism (LWE) has challenged India’s internal security. The movement began in 1967 in Naxalbari village, West Bengal, as a peasant uprising against exploitation. Over time, it evolved into a Maoist insurgency spread across parts of central and eastern India, commonly known as the Red Corridor.

The roots of the movement lie in deep socio-economic inequality, lack of land rights and alienation of tribal and rural communities. Armed groups used this discontent to establish parallel governance in forested belts of states such as Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, Odisha, Maharashtra, and parts of Andhra Pradesh.

A Shift in Strategy

Earlier responses focused mainly on police operations. The new model is more rounded, combining dialogue, technology, capacity building, and social integration. The central government coordinates closely with states to ensure security measures go hand in hand with roads, schools, banks, and jobs.

This marks a clear change from reacting to attacks to proactively eliminating the conditions that allow extremism to survive.

Visible Decline in Violence

The numbers tell the story. Between 2014 and 2024, incidents of Naxal violence dropped by over half from around 16,400 in the previous decade to about 7,700.

• Security personnel deaths fell from 1,851 to 509.
• Civilian deaths declined from 4,766 to 1,495.

In 2025 alone, security agencies neutralised 270 Naxals, arrested 680, and secured over 1,200 surrenders. Operations like Black Forest and large surrender drives in Chhattisgarh and Maharashtra show that insurgents are increasingly willing to return to the mainstream.

Strengthening the Security Grid

Peace has returned because the security grid is stronger and smarter. In the past decade, forces have built over 570 fortified police stations and 336 new camps, allowing presence in areas once unreachable. Only 18 districts now remain affected compared to 126 in 2014, and just six are in the “severe” category.

Mobility and response times have improved with 68 night-landing helipads, while advanced tools from drone surveillance and satellite imaging to AI-based data analytics now guide operations. Real-time intelligence sharing between agencies ensures precision rather than random combing operations.

Cutting Off the Money Flow

The financial network that kept Naxal groups alive has been systematically targeted. The NIA and Enforcement Directorate have seized assets worth more than ₹50 crore, while states have frozen properties of similar value. By attacking extortion chains and funding channels, the government has weakened both the material and psychological base of the insurgency.

Urban sympathisers once the ideological and fundraising arms of the movement — have also faced strict action, reducing their capacity to spread propaganda.

Empowering States and Forces

Since security is primarily a state subject, the Centre has focused on empowering local police.

• Under the Security Related Expenditure (SRE) scheme, states have received over ₹3,300 crore a 155% rise from the previous decade.
• The Special Infrastructure Scheme (SIS) has strengthened intelligence units and Special Forces with ₹991 crore.
• Developmental assistance through the Special Central Assistance (SCA) fund has crossed ₹3,700 crore, aimed at filling service and infrastructure gaps in LWE districts.

This funding ensures that states are not just fighting insurgency but also building capacity to prevent its return.

Development as the Real Game-Changer

Security alone cannot end extremism development can. The past few years have seen an unprecedented infrastructure push across Naxal-hit districts.

1. Road Connectivity:

Over 12,000 km of roads have been built since 2014, linking interior villages to markets, schools, and hospitals.

2. Mobile and Internet Access:

Poor connectivity once kept these regions isolated. Now, thousands of 2G and 4G towers have been installed under multi-phase projects, bringing the digital world closer to communities once cut off.

3. Financial Inclusion:

New bank branches, ATMs, and over 37,000 banking correspondents ensure people no longer depend on cash channels dominated by Naxals. Nearly 6,000 post offices now provide last-mile delivery of financial and postal services.

4. Education and Skill Building:

Through the Kaushal Vikas Yojana, the government has funded ITIs and Skill Development Centres in most affected districts. These centres train local youth in trades that provide stable employment and reduce the appeal of extremist recruitment.

5. Local Recruitment:

The creation of the Bastariya Battalion in 2018 — made up mostly of tribal youth from Dantewada, Bijapur, and Sukma — reflects growing trust between local populations and the state.

Reclaiming Lost Ground

Operations such as Octopus, Double Bull, and Chakrabandha have helped reclaim several long-standing Maoist bases. Strategic advances in Budha Pahar, Parasnath, Baramsia, Chhakrabandha, and Abujhmaad show that forces now control regions that were once impenetrable.

In 2024 alone, major encounters eliminated senior Maoist leaders, disrupting their command chain. Many of these areas now host police camps, schools and small markets visible signs of normalcy.

Rehabilitation and Reintegration

The government’s Surrender and Rehabilitation Policy balances enforcement with empathy. Former cadres who surrender receive:

• ₹5 lakh for senior leaders,
• ₹2.5 lakh for lower cadres, and
• ₹10,000 per month for three years during skill training.

In 2025 alone, over 500 cadres surrendered, while Chhattisgarh saw more than 1,000 in just two years. These programmes turn ex-combatants into community workers, entrepreneurs, and even security volunteers the most powerful proof of transformation.

Challenges That Remain

While the movement has lost strength, it has not disappeared.

• Hardline ideology still motivates scattered groups to resist the state.
• Front organisations in cities use legal spaces to spread propaganda and fund operations.
• Remote terrains of dense forests make constant policing difficult.
• A lingering trust deficit between tribal communities and local administration can slow development gains.

Conclusion

India’s campaign against Naxalism is no longer just about guns and patrols. It is about reconnecting with forgotten citizens and restoring faith in the state. The steep fall in violence, the return of governance to remote regions, and the reintegration of former cadres signal a deep structural change.

If sustained, this integrated approach rooted in security, development and trust could finally end one of India’s longest internal conflicts and replace decades of alienation with lasting peace and opportunity.