The Indian government, led by Union Home Minister Amit Shah, has proclaimed an ambitious goal – to eradicate Naxalism across India by March 2026. With active fighters reduced to around 500 in a handful of districts and efforts increasingly focused on core bastions in Chhattisgarh and neighbouring states, the government has accelerated countermeasures through Operation Kagar / Black Forest – the most massive anti-insurgency initiative in recent history. Here, we have given a detailed overview of India’s Anti-Naxal Strategy in 2025.
Four-Way Approach for India’s Anti-Naxal Strategy
1. Hard Security Measures
- Operation Kagar (2024) and Operation Black Forest (April-May 2025) deployed over 20,000 security personnel in dense forests, including Bastar and the Sakhillu Hills, with the support of the CRPF, Cobra, DRG, and STF.
- This led to a big victory: the Death of Top Maoist Cadres (such as Nambala Keshav Rao alias Basavraj), collective surrender, arrests, weapons, and explosive visits
- Maoist activists received significant injury – 344 killed in 2024, more than 255 mortals, and top management was interrupted in early 2025
- Security operations continue via state border coordination, especially across Jharkhand, Odisha, and West Bengal
2. Development & Rehabilitation
- The government targeted LWE-affected areas with large-scale infrastructure extension: More than 194 Stronghold Police Stations, 14,400 km rural roads, and 6,000 mobile towers since 2019.
- Social appointed initiatives such as ROSHNI Scheme, nationwide Skills Training, Eklavya Residential School, and Youth Exchange aim to integrate tribal communities and youth into education and employment streams.
3. Intelligence & Local Engagement
- Advanced surveillance techniques deployed across terrain include drone imagery, local informant networks, and real-time interception of Maoist communications
- Establishing over 280 security camps and Joint Task Forces improved coordination in remote zones
4. Reconciliation & Surrender Offers
- The government encouraged surrenders by offering rehabilitation packages and mainstreaming opportunities, with 881 surrendering in 2024 and over 1,000 between 2021 and 25 across states
- Dismissed Maoist calls for a ceasefire, focusing on dismantling their ideology through systemic change rather than negotiations
Major Operations Yield Key Gains
- Bijapur Clash (February 2025): Joint Forces killed 31 Maoists in Indravati National Park – one of the most deadly rebellious meetings of recent times
- Abujmarh Forest Clashes (October 2024 and May 2025): 38 killers were met in the first 2024; In 2025, the authorities abolished Basavaraju and others with a crucial battle by abolishing the Maoist leadership.
- Constant operations (eg, Sukma in July 2025) resulted in more effective actions by the Maoists; terrorists were killed, and weapons caches were recovered
Achievements & Road Ahead
Quantitative Impact
- Four hundred something Maoists neutralised, one thousand something surrendered, and one thousand something arrested in just 1.5 years, per Chhattisgarh officials
- Deaths due to LWE fell below a hundred in 2022 – a decade-low toll marking strategic success
- Maoist influence is now limited to only five Indian states, down from over 223 at its peak
Strategic Challenges & Critique
- Human rights watchdogs caution about encounter killings, forced displacement, and civilian harm—especially tribal communities misidentified as Maoists
- Experts note that eliminating the ideology requires addressing root causes like displacement, poor access, and exploitation in mineral-rich tribal territories
- Maoist leadership documents admit to heavy setbacks and call for guerrilla adaptability and mass mobilisation to counter the crackdown
- Drone Warfare: Ukraine Drone Attack on Russia
- Evolving Warfare & India’s Defence Transformation Strategy
- Defence Cess: To fund Military Upgradation
- 5 Ways to Join the Indian Defence Forces as an Officer
Conclusion
- India’s approach blends force, infrastructure, reconciliation, and governance to which destroys both the militant and ideological equipment of Naxalism.
- Top leadership neutralised, cadres surrendering, and critical ground areas reclaimed signal irreversible progress toward ending left-wing extremism.
- But sustainable peace hinges on institutional inclusion, human rights compliance, and continued development.
FAQs for India’s Anti‑Naxal Strategy
Ans. It is a multidimensional approach that combines security operations, development initiatives, and intelligence coordination to eliminate LEFT-oriented extremism (LWE).
Ans. The Central Armed Police Force (CAPFS), such as the CRPF, plays a major role, with special devices such as the State Police and Cobra Commands.
Ans. In mid-2025, LWE violence had dropped by more than seventy percent as compared to 2010, and many districts had been eliminated from the Red Corridor listing.
Ans. The government’s plans are now targeting health services, education, and employment in LWE-affected areas to cut rebel recruitment and win local trust.
Ans. Community policing, recruitment of tribal children in CAPFs, and active panchayat-stage engagement are key projects.
Ans. Difficult terrain, ideological affect, and sporadic ambushes remain; however, coordinated motion and real-time intelligence are the final gaps.