Left wing extremists (LWE) or Naxals pose the biggest internal security challenge in India for the past 6 decades

In the past 20 years, 2,344 security personnel have lost their lives - this number is more than four times the number of Indian army personnel killed in 1999 Kargil war.

More armed personnel died in fighting Naxals than battling terrorists in Jammu and Kashmir.

The civilian toll is 6,258 people.

At its peak, the naxal threat impacted 80 million people, mainly tribals. 10 states, known as the Red Corridor, across Andhra Pradesh, Bihar, Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Odisha, Telangana, West Bengal and Uttar Pradesh. This is said that "from Pashupati in Nepal to Tirupati in Andhra Pradesh. "

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In 2014, 126 districts in 10 states were classified as the most affected. In early 2025, this count reduced to 12, the majority being in Bastar region, around the river Indravati. Other areas included Odisha, Jharkhand, Maharashtra and Madhya Pradesh. Over 70% fall in the death of security personnel and civilians in naxal affected areas since 2014. The incidents of violence have decreased by half.

["] "I firmly believe that by March 2026, we will ensure that India will be totally free from the naxal threat" - HM Amit Shah.

Camps like Puvarti are designated as Forward Operating Bases or FOBs.

Prior to the introduction six years ago, security camps were set up mainly on the highways near the naxal infested areas and forces would conduct linear attacks. They would have to walk or trek as much as 30 km a day from their camps to launch operations against the naxals. This makes them vulnerable to both exhaustion and easy ambushes. Now the FOBs are in the thick of jungles, close to naxal hideouts and form a tight security grid 5km from each other.

Centre of commando battalion for resolute action (CoBRA) in Jagdalpur, once the capital of undivided bastar, Amit choudhary, commandant of 201 CoBRA battalion says, "They need to succeed only once to sustain the fervour, while we must score every day. "

Currently, there are 182 security FOBs in the bastar region, 30 new FOBs have sprung in 2024 alone.

State of art survelliance technology, NETRA 3 and Bharat drones, with a range of 5km and endurance with 60 minutes with multiple battery backups.

Sharing of techint or technical intelligence with the union and state governments. Additional to this, is the accurate human intelligence or humanint started to flow from the tribals.

The newly formed Bastariya battalion, in which many of 7,500 naxals who have surrendered since 2014 have joined the forces.

305 naxals were eliminated in Chhattisgarh in the past 15 months and 217 in the basstar region in 2024 alone - the highest for any year.

The main source of income were the levy of tendu patta contractors in the summer months and extortion from forests and road contractors, an estimate of 150 crores.

In many of the naxal affected districts, with good internet connection, tendu auctions have been held online to stem leakage. To prevent money extortion from contractors, we instilled a sense of security in them.

The government created a separate vertical in the NIA that seized naxal assets of more than 40 crores. The ED has taken initiatives to reduce the foreign aid in LWE areas.

Trace, Target, Neutralise approach of the Modi ji government in the past 5 years has killed 15 top naxal leaders. Pic:

The number of hardcore fighters in the naxal ranks in bastar has come down to 600 from 1400 three years ago.

Abujhmaad, Maharashtra was impregnable and there was no security presence in there and now we have nine camps inside it.

Civic action programme Pic:

Guns and Gulab policy, the centre has upped its efforts to bring speedy development to naxal affected areas. To improve communicatioons, more than 2000 mobile towers have been erected close to FOBs. To make sure, "There is no reason for people to go back to naxalism"

Tendu leaf plucking a major economic activity, the state government has hiked the wages per standard bag from 4000 to 5500 rupees. The Niyad Nellanar or My ideal village scheme was launched.

All the key security agencies fighting the naxals know it is a tough task to meet the HM's deadline but are determined to win the war.

Four pronged strategy to eliminate naxalism:

Take ruthless action
Reduce the security vacuum by setting up more camps like FOBs
Put a squeeze on naxal funds and their arms supply
Bring more development schemes in the naxal affected areas.

Three tier system for coordination

Union and State ministerial levels
State and district levels
Central and state level law and order agencies

If 98% of the police stations in an area do not have a single incident of naxalism in the entire year, then the area will be declared naxal free.

Naxalism will be eliminated completely by 2026

Maoism is a “doctrine to capture State power through a combination of armed insurgency, mass mobilisation and strategic alliances” for which they allegedly use “propaganda and disinformation against State institutions”

the Communist Party of India (Maoist), which is banned under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, 1967, is the largest and the most violent Maoist formation

spread of LWE violence has been reduced to 38 districts in the country compared to 126 in 10 states in 2013.

The number of police stations reporting LWE-related violence also plummeted from 465 in 2010 to 171 last year.

April 2025

1 crore development fund

Union Home Minister Amit Shah announced that villages in Chhattisgarh where all Naxalites surrender will receive a development fund of Rs 1 crore.