Ramesh Sarraf Dhamora
Naxalism, which has emerged as a scourge in the country for the last six decades, is now on the verge of ending. The country’s Home Minister Amit Shah has announced in Parliament that Naxalism will be eradicated in the country by March 31, 2026. This is a very big announcement made by the Home Minister. For the last 60 years, the country has been badly suffering from the problem of Naxalism. During this period, many governments came and went in the country, but the scourge of Naxalism kept increasing day by day. In many states of the country, Naxalites even ran their parallel government in a large part. They ruled in Naxalism-affected districts. There was no effect of the central and state government there. The decree of the Naxalites was the final order, which people were forced to obey.
But now the circumstances have completely changed. Naxalism is counting its last breaths due to the success of the central government’s campaign to free itself from Naxalism. Many big Naxal commanders have been killed in encounters with security forces or have saved their lives by surrendering. Union Home Minister Amit Shah said a few days ago that taking a big step towards building a Naxal-free India, India has reduced the number of districts most affected by Left Wing Extremism from 12 to 6. Shah, while shedding light on the Modi government’s vision to eradicate Naxalism and emphasizing the country’s commitment to promote development in all areas, said that the Modi government is determined to build a strong, safe and prosperous India with tireless efforts for all-round development and a firm stand against Naxalism. We are committed to uproot Naxalism by March 31, 2026. According to the Home Ministry, the total number of districts affected by Naxalism in India was earlier 38. Of these, the number of most affected districts has now come down to 6. Also, the number of districts of concern and other LWE affected districts has come down. The six most affected districts by Naxalism now include four districts in Chhattisgarh namely Bijapur, Kanker, Narayanpur and Sukma, West Singhbhum district in Jharkhand and Gadchiroli district in Maharashtra. Further, the number of districts of concern that require intensive resources and attention has come down from 9 to 6. These districts are Alluri Sitarama Raju in Andhra Pradesh, Balaghat in Madhya Pradesh, Kalahandi, Kandhamal and Malkangiri in Odisha and Bhadradri-Kothagudem in Telangana.
The number of other LWE affected districts which are also facing Naxal activity but to a lesser extent has come down from 17 to 6. These include Dantewada, Gariaband and Mohla-Manpur-Ambagadh Chowki in Chhattisgarh, Latehar in Jharkhand, Nuapada in Odisha and Mulugu district in Telangana. To assist these districts in their reconstruction and development, the central government provides financial assistance under the Special Central Assistance (SCA) scheme. The most affected districts get Rs 30 crore. While Rs 10 crore is allocated to districts of concern to fill gaps in public infrastructure. Special projects tailored to the needs of these areas are also funded by the government.
Due to the zero tolerance policy against Naxalism, so far in the year 2025, as per the data prepared by the Union Home Ministry, at least 130 Naxalites have been killed in encounters in Chhattisgarh. Of these, more than 110 were killed in Bastar division which includes seven districts including Bijapur and Kanker. More than 105 Naxalites were arrested from different parts of the country and 164 have surrendered so far in 2025. Earlier in the year 2024, 290 Naxalites were neutralized, 1090 were arrested and 881 surrendered. So far, a total of 15 top Naxalite leaders have been neutralized.
Till the year 2014, there were a total of 66 fortified police stations, whereas in the last 10 years of the Modi government, their number has increased to 612. Similarly, in 2014, 126 districts in the country were Naxal-affected, but in 2024, the number of most affected districts has come down to only 12. In the last 5 years, a total of 302 new security camps and 68 night landing helipads have been built.
According to the Union Home Ministry, there were 16,463 violent incidents related to Naxalism in the country from 2004 to 2014. But in the last 10 years, it has decreased by 53 percent. From 2004 to 2014, 1851 security personnel lost their lives during various Naxal attacks and anti-Naxal operations. But in the last 10 years, the number of casualties of security forces has decreased by 73 percent to 509. At the same time, between 2004 and 14, 4,766 civilians died in Naxal attacks. Between 2014 and 2024, this figure has decreased by 70 percent to 1495. According to the Home Ministry, till now in the year 2025, 90 Naxalites have been killed, 104 have been arrested and 164 have surrendered. In the year 2024, 290 Naxalites were neutralized, 1090 were arrested and 881 surrendered.In the last 20 years, 2,344 security personnel have lost their lives fighting Naxalites. In the last two decades alone, 6,258 people have been killed in Naxalite attacks. When Naxalism was at its peak in the country, it affected 8 crore people. These were mainly tribals. It was spread across 10 states with a red corridor spanning Andhra Pradesh, Bihar, Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Odisha, Telangana, West Bengal and Uttar Pradesh.
While on one hand the government is announcing the end of Naxalism, on the other hand, urban Naxalism, also known as urban Naxalism, is emerging rapidly. It is different from traditional rural Naxalism as its focus is on cities and urban areas. Supporters of urban Naxalite ideology, which includes academics, students, social workers and intellectuals, propagate Naxalite ideology. They spread their ideology through various social, political and cultural mediums and incite discontent against the system.
The effect of the central government’s comprehensive efforts against Naxalism in the country has started to show. As a result of the government’s efforts, the number of Naxal-affected districts in the country is now decreasing. The government has taken a big step towards building a Naxal-free India. The decrease in the number of districts most affected by left wing extremism in the country is a sign of the end of this movement.
The Naxalite agitators have caused a lot of damage to the country with their anti-national activities. Thousands of innocent people have lost their lives. At the same time, a large number of security forces have also sacrificed their lives in the anti-Naxal operation. There was a time when the Naxalites had a strong hold in 10 states of the country. They had even attacked Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu. In Jagdalpur, the Naxalites had created a sensation by killing many big leaders of the Congress.
But now due to the policies of the central government, on one hand, the pressure on them has increased, while on the other hand, the government has started development schemes in their areas of influence and has ended their public support. After the encounter of many big Naxal commanders, a large number of Naxalites are surrendering out of fear. Due to which peace will prevail in the Naxal-affected areas in the coming time. Which will be a big victory for the government and the common people.
(The author is a freelance journalist)
