Left-Wing Extremism (Naxalism)

What is Extremism and Left-Wing Extremism (LWE)?

Extremism refers to the use of violence and ideological mobilisation to capture power or radically restructure the state, rejecting constitutional and democratic means. Left-Wing Extremism (LWE), popularly called Naxalism or the Maoist movement, is an armed insurgency rooted in Maoist ideology that seeks to overthrow the Indian state through a "protracted people's war" and establish a so-called liberated communist society led by the peasantry and proletariat.

The Maoists reject the Indian Constitution, parliamentary democracy and elections as instruments of "bourgeois-feudal" rule. Their stated goal is the violent capture of state power by encircling cities from the countryside — a doctrine borrowed from Mao Zedong's Chinese revolution. The Government of India has repeatedly described LWE as the "single biggest internal security threat" (a phrase used by former PM Manmohan Singh), though by 2025-26 its footprint has shrunk dramatically.

Evolution of LWE in India

The Naxalite movement has passed through distinct phases — from a localised peasant uprising to a pan-Indian "Red Corridor," and finally to sharp decline by the mid-2020s.

1. The Naxalbari Uprising (1967)

• In May 1967, a peasant revolt erupted in Naxalbari village, Darjeeling district, West Bengal, against landlords over land and crop-sharing rights.
• It was led by Charu Majumdar (chief ideologue) and Kanu Sanyal (along with Jangal Santhal), who advocated armed agrarian revolution inspired by Mao.
• The uprising was suppressed, but it gave the movement its name and ideological template.

2. Formation of CPI (ML) and Spread

• In 1969, the Communist Party of India (Marxist-Leninist) — CPI (ML) was formed under Charu Majumdar, breaking away from the CPI(M).
• The movement spread to Andhra Pradesh, Bihar, Odisha and beyond, but fragmented into multiple factions through the 1970s-80s (e.g., People's War Group in AP, Maoist Communist Centre in Bihar/Jharkhand).

3. The 2004 Merger — Birth of CPI (Maoist)

• In September 2004, the two largest factions — the People's War Group (PWG) and the Maoist Communist Centre of India (MCCI) — merged to form the Communist Party of India (Maoist).
• This consolidated the movement, created a unified armed wing and expanded the "Red Corridor" across central and eastern India during 2004-2010, the peak of LWE violence.

Current Situation of Naxalism (2024-26)

LWE has witnessed a dramatic, sustained decline in geographic spread, violence and casualties. The "Red Corridor" — once stretching across central-eastern India — has shrunk to a few core pockets.

• Shrinking footprint: The number of LWE-affected districts (for Security Related Expenditure purposes) has fallen from a peak of around 126 districts to a far smaller number — under 40 districts by 2024-25, with the "most affected" core down to single digits.
• Declining violence: Incidents of LWE violence and resultant deaths have dropped by over 70% from the 2010 peak; the geographical spread is now concentrated mainly in the Bastar region of Chhattisgarh.
• Government deadline: The Union Home Ministry, under Home Minister Amit Shah, has set a target to make India "LWE-free by 31 March 2026."
• Top leaders neutralised: During 2024-2025, security forces neutralised several senior Maoist leaders in Chhattisgarh, including in the Bastar / Abujhmad operations, severely weakening the central committee.

Strategy of the Naxalite Movement

The Maoists follow Mao's doctrine of "protracted people's war" — a long-drawn rural insurgency that builds base areas, raises a guerrilla army and eventually encircles the cities. Their operational strategy rests on four pillars.

1. Guerrilla Warfare

• Hit-and-run ambushes, IED blasts, attacks on security convoys, and targeting of "class enemies," police informers and infrastructure (roads, mobile towers, railways).

2. Base Areas / "Liberated Zones"

• Creation of guerrilla zones in dense forests and tribal belts (e.g., Abujhmad) where the state is absent and the Maoists run a parallel government ("Janatana Sarkar"), collect "taxes" and dispense rough justice.

3. Mass Organisations & United Front

• Front bodies for students, workers, tribals and intellectuals to mobilise support, spread propaganda and recruit — operating as the political-overground arm.

4. Military Wing — PLGA

• The People's Liberation Guerrilla Army (PLGA) is the armed wing of the CPI (Maoist), organised into platoons and companies, responsible for major attacks and military training.

Recruitment by Naxals

The movement sustains itself by drawing recruits from the most marginalised sections, blending genuine grievance with coercion.

• Tribal youth: Unemployed, poorly educated tribal (Adivasi) youth in remote forest districts form the bulk of the cadre and PLGA foot-soldiers.
• Exploitation of grievances: Land alienation, displacement by mining, forest-rights denial and police/forest-department excesses are weaponised as recruitment narratives.
• Coercion & intimidation: Forced recruitment, the "one member per household" demand in core areas, and threats against families who resist.
• Child recruitment: Use of children in "Bal Sangham" units for surveillance, courier work and indoctrination — a documented human-rights concern.
• Ideological indoctrination: Mass meetings, cultural troupes and propaganda to romanticise armed struggle.

Front Organisations & Urban Presence ("Urban Naxals")

Beyond the armed jungle cadres, the CPI (Maoist) maintains an urban network central to its strategy — described in its own document "Strategy and Tactics of the Indian Revolution" and the "Urban Perspective" plan.

• Overground Workers (OGWs): Sympathisers who provide logistics, finance, medicines, intelligence and safe houses without taking up arms.
• Front organisations: Civil-society, student, cultural and rights bodies used as a legal façade to spread ideology, raise funds and recruit.
• "Urban Naxals": A term for urban ideological supporters and intellectuals alleged to provide strategic, legal and propaganda support to the underground movement.
• Function: The urban network is meant to mobilise the working class, build a united front and create a "second front" to support the rural armed struggle.

Reasons / Root Causes of LWE

LWE thrives where the state is weak and grievances are deep. Multiple official committees (e.g., the Expert Group of the Planning Commission, 2008, headed by D. Bandyopadhyay) traced its roots to socio-economic and governance failures rather than ideology alone.

1. Land & Livelihood Alienation

• Tribal land alienation: Loss of land to non-tribals, moneylenders and contractors despite protective laws.
• Displacement: Large-scale displacement by mining, dams and industrial projects in mineral-rich tribal belts, often without adequate rehabilitation.

2. Forest & Resource Rights

• Forest rights denial: Historic alienation from forest produce and weak implementation of the Forest Rights Act, 2006 and PESA, 1996.
• "Jal, Jangal, Zameen": The rallying cry over control of water, forest and land resources.

3. Governance & Development Deficit

• Absence of the state — poor roads, schools, health centres, banking and administration in core forest areas.
• Weak delivery of welfare, leakages, and lack of last-mile connectivity.

4. Exploitation & Injustice

• Exploitation by contractors and traders (e.g., over tendu leaf, minor forest produce), indebtedness, and a sense of social injustice.
• Alleged excesses by security/forest personnel that alienate communities.

Government Initiatives to Fight LWE

India follows a two-pronged / multi-pronged strategy combining tough security action with development, rights and rehabilitation — captured in the umbrella SAMADHAN doctrine (2017) and the National Policy and Action Plan, 2015.

A. The SAMADHAN Doctrine (2017)

An eight-pronged short- and long-term strategy articulated by the Home Ministry. The acronym encapsulates the whole-of-government approach.

B. Security Measures

• Central forces: Deployment of CRPF and its elite jungle-warfare unit CoBRA (Commando Battalion for Resolute Action), alongside state police.
• State special forces: Andhra/Telangana's Greyhounds (model anti-Naxal force), Chhattisgarh's DRG (District Reserve Guard) drawn from surrendered cadres and locals.
• Forward bases: Establishment of new security camps / forward operating bases in core areas (Bastar, Abujhmad) to fill the security vacuum.
• Modernisation: Bullet-proof vehicles, UAVs/drones, helicopters, fortified police stations, the Modernisation of Police Forces scheme.

C. Development Initiatives

• Aspirational Districts Programme targeting backward LWE districts on health, education, infrastructure and financial inclusion.
• Road connectivity: The Road Requirement Plan (RRP-I & RCPLWEA) for roads in LWE areas; bridges and all-weather roads.
• Telecom: Installation of mobile towers (LWE Mobile Tower Project, Phases I & II) to end communication blackspots.
• Financial inclusion: Opening of bank branches, post offices, ATMs, Banking Correspondents and ATMs in affected blocks.
• Education & skilling: Eklavya Model Residential Schools (EMRS), ITIs/skill development centres, Skill Development scheme for LWE districts.

D. Rights, Rehabilitation & Legal Tools

• Surrender-cum-rehabilitation policy: Incentives, stipends, vocational training and housing for surrendered cadres to bring them into the mainstream.
• Rights legislation: Implementation of the Forest Rights Act, 2006 and PESA, 1996 to address tribal grievances.
• Legal action: Use of UAPA (banning CPI-Maoist & front bodies as terrorist organisations) and PMLA + the Enforcement Directorate / NIA to choke funding and prosecute networks.

Way Forward

Sustaining the decline and achieving a lasting peace requires moving beyond purely kinetic operations to a holistic development + security + rights framework.

• "Clear-Hold-Develop": First clear an area of armed Maoists, hold it with sustained security presence, and rapidly bring in development and administration so the vacuum is not re-occupied.
• Address root causes: Genuine, time-bound implementation of the Forest Rights Act (FRA) and PESA; fair land-acquisition, resettlement and benefit-sharing in mining areas.
• Last-mile governance: Strengthen local administration, panchayats, schools, health and banking; fill staff vacancies in remote blocks.
• Winning hearts and minds: Generous, well-publicised surrender-and-rehabilitation packages; community policing; respect for human rights and due process to deny the Maoists a grievance narrative.
• Choke finances: Continue targeting extortion networks, illegal mining linkages and front-organisation funding through ED/NIA.
• Inter-state coordination: Joint operations and intelligence-sharing across affected states to prevent cadres exploiting state borders.
• Youth & livelihoods: Skilling, employment and education to break the recruitment pipeline among tribal youth.

Current Affairs Snapshot (up to June 2026)

• Sharp decline 2024-25: LWE violence and affected districts at historic lows; the "Red Corridor" largely confined to Bastar.
• Top leaders neutralised: Multiple senior Maoist commanders and central-committee members neutralised in Chhattisgarh during 2024-2025, including major Bastar/Abujhmad operations.
• "LWE-free by 31 March 2026": The Union Home Ministry's declared deadline to end Left-Wing Extremism, with a final push in core areas.
• Forward bases & DRG: Expansion of security camps and locally-raised District Reserve Guards driving the operational momentum in Bastar.
• Development surge: Roads, mobile towers, banking and Aspirational Districts interventions reaching previously inaccessible villages.
• Surrenders rising: Increasing surrenders of armed cadres under improved rehabilitation incentives.

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