THE CONTEXT: On 21 May 2025, joint units of the District Reserve Guard, Border Security Force and Chhattisgarh Police neutralised 27 cadres of the Communist Party of India (Maoist) [CPI-M], including the party’s general secretary Nambala Keshava Rao (alias Basavaraju) during “Operation Black Forest” in the Abujhmad hills. Home Minister Amit Shah described the strike as the “most decisive breakthrough” since the 2010 Dantewada ambush and reiterated the Union Government’s goal of ending Left-Wing Extremism (LWE) by March 2026.
HISTORICAL BACKDROP AND IDEOLOGICAL CORE
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- The present insurgency traces its lineage to the Naxalbari uprising of 1967 and the People’s War Group of the 1980s. The 2004 merger of the People’s War Group with the Maoist Communist Centre created CPI-M, whose Marxist-Leninist-Maoist doctrine prescribes a “protracted people’s war” to overthrow the Indian state.
- The People’s Liberation Guerrilla Army (PLGA) remains the military instrument that “glorifies violence as the primary means to overwhelm the existing socio-economic order,” as noted on the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) LWE portal.
CURRENT SECURITY LANDSCAPE: DATA AND TRENDS
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- Government data show a 76 percent decline in LWE incidents between the 2010 peak and 2022, with resultant deaths (security forces + civilians) falling by 90 percent to double digits.
- The geographic spread has contracted from 223 districts in 10 states in 2010 to barely 70 districts across five states today, according to MHA’s 2023-24 annual review.
- Surrenders have outpaced fresh recruitments for three consecutive years, and the CPI-M itself admitted to a “serious crisis of manpower” in its 2024 internal circular (intercepted by police and filed in a Narayanpur charge-sheet)
DETERMINANTS OF THE DECLINE:
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- Security Dominance: Continuous operations by specialised formations such as Greyhounds, CoBRA, and the “Bastariya” battalion have denied insurgents safe havens.
- Developmental Outreach: Under the National Policy and Action Plan (2015), 4,046 km of roads, 1,333 telecom towers, 1,214 post offices, and 297 bank branches have been added in LWE blocks, shrinking the “governance vacuum.”
- Community Dissatisfaction: Prolonged conflict fatigue, high opportunity costs, and expanded welfare schemes—e.g., Pradhan Mantri Adi Adarsh Gram Yojana and Eklavya Model Residential Schools—have eroded tribal support bases.
- Ideological Atrophy: The blanket rejection of electoral politics looks increasingly untenable after high tribal voter turnout in the 2024 Chhattisgarh Assembly poll (78 percent).
GOVERNMENT POLICY ARCHITECTURE:
| Pillar | Salient Elements | Remarks |
|---|---|---|
| Security | SAMADHAN doctrine: Smart leadership, Aggressive strategy, Motivation & Training, Actionable intelligence, Dashboard-based KPIs, Harnessing technology, Action plan for each theatre, No access to arms & funds. | Announced in 2017, now integrated with Real-Time Crime Centre feeds. |
| Development | Special Central Assistance (₹7,552 crore released since 2015); Security-Related Expenditure; Aspirational Districts Programme convergence. | 85 percent of projects completed. |
| Rights-based Measures | Panchayats (Extension to Scheduled Areas) Act, Forest Rights Act, and Van Dhan Kendras for livelihood diversification. | Implementation uneven; needs acceleration. |
| Rehabilitation | Revised Surrender-cum-Rehabilitation Policy (2018): ₹6 lakh fixed deposit + skill stipend; 1,585 surrenders in 2023. | Reintegration remains patchy, especially for women cadres. |
OUTSTANDING CHALLENGES:
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- Civilian Harm and Credibility Gap: Allegations of staged encounters risk alienating communities, as the National Human Rights Commission flagged in the 2024 Jharkhand fact-finding report.
- Resource Conflict: Rapid mining clearances in Bastar without prior informed consent under the Forest Rights Act create new flashpoints.
- Inter-State Coordination Lapses: Border tri-junctions (Chhattisgarh-Odisha-Telangana) still permit “high-value target” mobility.
- Digital Propaganda: CPI-M is pivoting to encrypted messaging and dark-web zones to radicalise urban sympathisers.
- Governance Deficit Post-Clearance: “Clear and go” operations leave a vacuum that local contractors or vigilante groups sometimes fill, breeding fresh grievances.
COMPARATIVE GLOBAL INSIGHTS:
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- Peru’s Shining Path: Decapitation of leadership coupled with rural development and transitional justice reduced violence by 90 percent within five years, but a resurgence occurred where socio-economic exclusion persisted.
- Nepal’s Maoists: The 2006 Comprehensive Peace Accord shows that mainstreaming erstwhile rebels through constitutional accommodation and equity-oriented reforms can stabilise post-conflict societies.
- Philippines’ CPP-NPA: Heavy-handed military tactics without simultaneous reform have prolonged insurgency, underlining the need for “secure-hold-develop” sequencing.
THE STRATEGIC WAY FORWARD:
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- From Dominance to Stabilisation: Transition security forces in cleared zones from search-and-destroy to “area-domination-plus-service-delivery,” embedding civic-action platoons with civil-service probationers.
- Tribal-Centric Governance Compact: Fast-track claims under the Forest Rights Act; operationalise Gram Sabhas as primary stakeholders in mining decisions, in line with the Fifth Schedule spirit.
- Peace Window with Safeguards: Offer time-bound, verifiable cease-fire linked to phased disarmament, monitored by independent observers drawn from retired judges and tribal elders.
- Algorithmic Early Warning: Deploy machine-learning models on satellite imagery and call data records (with statutory privacy guardrails) to predict ambush zones a week in advance, reducing troop casualties and civilian collateral damage.
- “Green Corridor” Development: Prioritise eco-sensitive livelihood clusters—minor forest produce processing, bamboo composites, and carbon-credit forestry—to break the conflict-extraction nexus.
- Co-operative Federalism Dashboard: This is a common operating picture to be shared across all LWE-affected states. It is integrated with the Crime and Criminal Tracking Network System, ensuring seamless hot-pursuit authorisations.
- Narrative Reframing: Launch a multilingual “Adivasi Swabhiman” media campaign led by local youth influencers to delegitimise violence and showcase alternative role models.
THE CONCLUSION:
Successful de-escalation will free scarce paramilitary resources for frontier management, reduce the fiscal burden of security-related expenditure, and accelerate the socio-economic integration of Scheduled Areas. Thereby, realising Directive Principles on tribal welfare and Article 21 obligations for life with dignity.
UPSC PAST YEAR QUESTION:
Q. Left Wing Extremism (LWE) is showing a downward trend, but still affects many parts of the country. Briefly explain the Government of India’s approach to counter the challenges posed by LWE. 2018
MAIN PRACTICE QUESTION:
Q. Left-Wing Extremism remains India’s gravest internal security challenge, yet recent data suggest a steep decline in its footprint. Suggest a roadmap that balances kinetic force with rights-based governance.
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