From Red Corridor to Naxal-Free Bharat

18.12.2025

From Red Corridor to Naxal-Free Bharat

Context

In late 2025, India has moved closer to achieving a "Naxal-free Bharat." Left-Wing Extremism (LWE) affected districts have seen a drastic reduction from 126 in 2014 to just 11 in 2025, with only 3 districts remaining in the "most-affected" category.

About the News

Trends in Naxalism (2014–2025):

• Territorial Contraction: Maoist influence has shrunk significantly, dismantling the core "Red Corridor." Most-affected districts dropped from 36 to 3.
• Decline in Violence: Violent incidents decreased by 53%, while civilian and security force deaths fell by 70% and 73% respectively compared to the 2004–2014 period.
• Cadre Attrition: 2025 marked a peak in operations with 317 insurgents neutralized, over 800 arrested, and approximately 2,000 surrendered.
• Governance Expansion: The collapse of parallel Maoist systems was driven by the expansion of roads, telecom, and permanent policing in former "jungle sanctuaries."

Historical Evolution of Naxalism

• Origin (1967): Emerged from the Naxalbari uprising in West Bengal. Driven by Charu Mazumdar’s "land to the tiller" ideology, it converted agrarian class conflict into armed mobilization.
• Expansion (1980s–2000s): Spread into the "Fifth Schedule" tribal belts. Exploited weak administration, land alienation, and forest grievances. The 2004 formation of CPI (Maoist) unified various factions.
• Peak and Decline (2005–2014): Maoists established "liberated zones," but coordinated state action began shrinking these safe havens.
• Decisive Rollback (2014 onwards): A unified security-development strategy utilized permanent camps and infrastructure to break recruitment networks in strongholds like Bastar and Dandakaranya.

Framework to Counter Left-Wing Extremism

Constitutional & Governance Measures:

• Fifth Schedule: Provides special governance for Scheduled Areas via Governor powers and Tribal Advisory Councils to prevent land alienation.
• PESA Act, 1996: Empowers Gram Sabhas with local resource control to deepen self-rule.
• Forest Rights Act (FRA), 2006: Corrects historical injustices by recognizing individual and community forest rights.

Development & Welfare Initiatives:

• Infrastructure Saturation: Road and telecom connectivity reduces isolation and allows for faster emergency responses.
• Financial Inclusion: Banking access facilitates Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT) and cuts off insurgent extortion channels.
• Skill Push: Education and local employability provide youth with alternatives to insurgent networks.

Security & Enforcement:

• Fortified Policing: Permanent forward presence prevents re-occupation by Maoist cadres.
• Financial Choking: Seizures disrupt the "insurgency ecosystem" including arms procurement and urban networks.
• Surrender Policy: Incentives and security guarantees convert active cadres into stakeholders of peace.

Challenges

• Governance Deficits: In some interiors, the state is still perceived through a security lens rather than service delivery (health, education, and courts).
• Implementation Gaps: Bypassing Gram Sabha consent in mining belts or weak enforcement of the FRA can trigger fresh distrust and mobilization.
• Socio-Economic Vulnerability: Poverty and displacement around mineral corridors keep communities susceptible to insurgent narratives.
• Ideological Residue: While territorial control has faded, digital propaganda and "urban support" networks remain a tool for potential reorganization.

Way Forward

• Governance-led Consolidation: Transition from security patrols to justice delivery, utilizing fast-track courts and tribal health cadres.
• Deepening Local Self-Rule: Ensure meaningful devolution of power to Gram Sabhas to block the space for parallel "people’s courts."
• Administrative Indigenisation: Scale models like the "Bastariya Battalion" to recruit locals into police and revenue services, improving cultural sensitivity.
• Rights Protection: Ensure Gram Sabha consent is mandatory and auditable for all projects to prevent fresh alienation.

Conclusion

India has successfully broken the military backbone of Naxalism through a calibrated mix of security and development. The final phase of eradication requires shifting focus toward tribal empowerment and justice delivery, ensuring that constitutional promises become a lived reality in the country's most remote areas.