Introduction
The Naxalite–Maoist insurgency is one of the longest running internal conflicts in India. Rooted in historical socio economic inequalities, the movement has evolved into a complex issue of insurgency, security, politics, and human rights. With Chhattisgarh often being the epicenter, understanding the roots of this problem requires us to go back in time to the very foundations of poverty, neglect, and frustration that gave birth to it.
In this article, we explore the history of Naxalism, the reasons why people become Maoists, the current situation in Chhattisgarh, and what India can do to solve the issue.
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| Map of India highlighting Maoist-affected Red Corridor districts. |
What is Naxalism?
Naxalism refers to the Maoist inspired armed rebellion that began in the late 1960s in the village of Naxalbari in West Bengal. Inspired by Chinese communist revolutionary Mao Zedong, the movement believes in using violence to overthrow the existing system and establish a classless, egalitarian society.
The Naxalite movement is now mostly active in the so called "Red Corridor" covering parts of Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, Odisha, Maharashtra, and Andhra Pradesh.
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| SATP conflict map displaying Maoist insurgency spread in central‑eastern India |
A Brief History of the Movement
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1967: The first armed uprising took place in Naxalbari, West Bengal. Poor farmers revolted against landlords, demanding land rights and justice.
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1970s–1980s: The movement spread across several states. Police action and internal splits weakened the original movement.
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2004: Two main Maoist groups merged to form the CPI (Maoist) the most powerful Naxal group today.
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2005–2010: Violence peaked in states like Chhattisgarh. Government launched operations like Salwa Judum (a controversial anti-Naxal militia backed by the state).
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2020s: While violence has reduced in many states, areas like southern Chhattisgarh still face serious Naxal threats.
Why Do People Become Maoists?
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It’s not like people are born with guns in their hands. Nobody dreams of living in jungles, always on the run, branded a criminal. The question we must ask is: What pushes someone that far?. Despite the violence, many tribal youths join Maoist groups. The reasons are complex but important:
1. Land and Forest Rights
For decades, Adivasis and forest-dwelling communities have lived in deep connection with the land. The soil is not just a place to farm, it’s part of their identity, their culture, their survival. But the cruel irony is that even after generations of living there, they hold no legal ownership. When industries and government backed projects eye these lands for mining or dams, the locals are often treated as encroachers on their own home.
Despite laws like the Forest Rights Act (2006), which were meant to recognize and protect these people’s rights, implementation has been poor and slow. Many genuine claims are rejected without reason. Instead of protection, what they get is eviction notices, police crackdowns, and silence from authorities.
When a tribal elder sees his ancestral land bulldozed for a project he didn’t agree to, when a young mother is forced to leave her village without a promise of resettlement, what should they do? They lose faith in justice. And that’s when Maoist ideology steps in, telling them: “You were robbed. Take back what’s yours.”
These aren’t just isolated incidents. In many states like Chhattisgarh, Odisha, and Jharkhand, forest lands are handed over to corporates, while the voices of those living there are ignored. The government promises development, but for whom is this development? For the local people, or for the profit books?
When people feel erased from maps and voices unheard in courts, rebellion becomes their only form of protest. The forest becomes their refuge. The gun becomes their language. Not because they want violence but because peace was denied to them, again and again.
2. Poverty and Unemployment
When a child grows up without knowing where their next meal will come from, or when a youth completes school but finds no job, what future are we really offering them? In many tribal and rural regions of India especially across Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, Odisha, and parts of Maharashtra and Telangana, poverty is not a temporary phase. It's a generational curse passed down like land in other parts of the country.
Government schemes exist, but they often remain on paper. The benefits get lost in corruption, middlemen, and bureaucracy. Even basic infrastructure like roads, schools, hospitals is either missing or severely neglected. In these regions, young people don’t dream of big cities. They dream of electricity, safe drinking water, and a life without begging for help.
Unemployment adds more fuel to this fire. A young tribal boy, with no access to skill training or job opportunities, starts questioning the system. "Why should I trust a government that never showed up for me?" The Maoist movement preys on this disillusionment. It doesn’t just offer ideology, it offers purpose. It gives the unemployed a role, an identity, a cause to fight for. When the system ignores them, the revolution embraces them.
It’s important to ask are these people choosing rebellion? Or are they being pushed into it, by a world that has failed them again and again?
Let’s be honest: if poverty continues to kill hope, violence will continue to be seen as the only voice left.
3. Police Brutality and Alienation
What happens when the people meant to protect you are the ones you fear the most? In many tribal belts of India, especially in the Red Corridor, this is not just a question, it’s a lived reality. Police brutality is not a rumour here. It’s a daily fear. Raids without warrants, false encounters, beatings, sexual violence against women, custodial deaths. These are not isolated cases. These are scars that generations carry silently.
When a 14-year-old boy is picked up because he’s “suspected” to have links with Maoists, and when his body returns days later in a gunny bag what do you expect his village to believe? Justice? Constitution? Democracy? No, they believe one thing: that they’ve been abandoned.
This is how alienation begins, not with slogans, but with silence. With stories that are never heard beyond the forests. With cries that don’t reach Delhi.
Most tribal communities don’t even speak the same language as their interrogators. Their idea of the world is different, rooted in nature, custom, and survival. Yet they are treated as outsiders in their own land. The police call them “suspects”. The system treats them as threats. Slowly, they begin to feel they don’t belong. That this country is not theirs.
That’s where the Maoist narrative enters with open arms. They say: “You’re not alone. You’ve been wronged. Fight back.” And the alienated listen not because they are violent by nature, but because they have no other voice left.
Let’s ask ourselves: if a mother sees her son being tortured for no crime, how long before she stops believing in peace?
4. Lack of Governance
Maoism doesn’t rise where there is good governance. It grows in the empty spaces where the government never bothered to reach.
In many remote tribal areas of India especially in states like Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, Odisha, and parts of Maharashtra the presence of government is almost invisible. There are no schools. No hospitals. No roads. No drinking water. No electricity. No job centres. No law that protects. And no one to listen.
Imagine walking 20 km just to get basic medical help. Imagine a village where children have never seen a proper school building. Imagine living in a place where your land can be taken away by corporations, but there’s no officer to register your complaint.
That’s not just poverty that’s abandonment.
For these communities, the idea of the Indian State is a distant dream. Government schemes rarely reach them. Corruption eats away whatever little benefits are announced. Forest officers act like kings. Local politicians show up only during elections. And bureaucrats make decisions from airconditioned rooms with no clue about the ground reality.
So, what’s left? A vacuum. And wherever there is a vacuum of governance, someone will fill it.
That’s where Maoists step in not just with guns, but with presence. They build roads. They solve land disputes. They impose their version of justice. It may be extreme, but to the neglected, even that feels like some form of order. Some form of power. At least someone is listening.
And once the state loses trust, regaining it becomes a distant, uphill battle.
Let’s not pretend that ideology alone fuels the movement. It’s the failure of governance that lays the ground. Maoism, in many ways, is not just a rebellion against the state. It is a response to the absence of the state.
5. Ideological Influence
Not everyone picks up a gun because of poverty or pain. Some do it because they believe in something bigger "An idea".
The core idea behind Maoism is revolution. It’s not just about fighting the government. it’s about changing the system from the roots. Maoist ideology sees the world as divided between the oppressors and the oppressed, the rich and the poor, the landlords and the landless, the rulers and the ruled.
Many people, especially young minds who grow up witnessing injustice every day, get drawn to this idea. They start believing that real change won’t come through votes, but through struggle. Not through slow reforms, but through bold action. They begin to see Maoist philosophy as a tool to fight back to destroy the old, corrupt order and build a new one where everyone is equal.
In many cases, students, idealists, and intellectuals who are frustrated with the failures of democracy also get attracted to this ideology. They see how systems are rigged against the poor. They see how elections become about money and caste. And they start asking what’s the point of waiting for change when the system was never meant to serve us?
Maoist leaders often use this discontent to motivate, mobilize, and recruit. They teach their followers about class struggle, revolution, and the dream of a just society. They promise dignity. They promise purpose. They give the oppressed a language to express their anger.
This doesn’t mean every Maoist is a terrorist. Many of them are people who started with a vision of justice. But over time, when ideology is mixed with violence, the line between resistance and extremism fades.
Still, at its heart, the movement is not just about guns. It is about belief. A belief that maybe, just maybe, another world is possible even if it has to be built with fire.
5. Distrust in Democracy
We say India is the world’s largest democracy. And yes, we have elections, political parties, debates, and voting rights. But for many people especially in tribal areas and deep rural belts democracy is just a word on paper. It feels distant. Sometimes, it feels like a lie.
When a person sees the same promises made again and again, but nothing changes that’s when trust breaks. Leaders come, make speeches, win votes, and vanish. No roads. No schools. No hospitals. No justice. Only dust, silence, and the same struggles, every single day.
This isn’t just a failure of development. It’s a failure of representation. Most tribal and forest dwelling communities feel like outsiders in their own country. Their voices are rarely heard in Parliament. Their pain is rarely shown on TV. And when they protest, they are labelled anti-national.
In such a system, how can people feel connected to democracy?
Maoists tap into this frustration. They ask questions like ,“What has your vote changed?”, “Whose democracy is this?”, “Why do only the rich get justice, and the poor get bullets?” And for people who have never experienced the power of their vote, these questions start to feel real.
Democracy also fails when basic rights are denied like land, water, and dignity. When a person is beaten for asking their rights, or arrested for speaking out, they no longer believe in the system. For them, democracy starts to look like a mask hiding inequality.
It’s not that people hate democracy, they just don’t feel part of it.
If the gap between government and ground reality continues to grow, this distress will only deepen. And this is where Maoist ideology finds space not in cities, but in those forgotten corners where hope fades and frustration takes over.
Recent Developments in Chhattisgarh
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| Indian security forces operating in Chhattisgarh’s Bastar forests during anti‑Maoist operation |
In recent months, Chhattisgarh has become the centre of serious Maoist activity once again, drawing national attention. Despite years of counter-insurgency efforts, the Red Corridor especially in regions like Bastar, Dantewada, Sukma, and Bijapur still burns with tensions.
In April 2024, the Indian security forces launched one of the largest anti-Maoist operations in the past decade. This led to multiple encounters where dozens of Maoists were reportedly killed, including some top commanders. However, these victories came with heavy sacrifices many jawans also lost their lives in ambushes and landmine blasts. Families on both sides were left shattered.
Just weeks ago, the explosion in Kanker district, allegedly carried out by Maoists using an improvised explosive device (IED), killed several personnel from the District Reserve Guard (DRG). This tragic attack once again raised questions about the safety of our forces and the ever-evolving tactics of the Maoists.
Meanwhile, the state government, under pressure from the Centre, has increased combing operations, drone surveillance, and road-building efforts to break the isolation of Maoist-affected villages. Infrastructure is being seen as a tool of both development and strategy connecting roads are not just for transport but also for quicker troop movement.
On the other hand, Maoist groups have intensified their propaganda. Posters, pamphlets, and even loudspeaker announcements in forested villages show that their ideological messaging is far from over. They talk about exploitation of tribal land, mining deals with corporations, and betrayal by local leaders. Their influence remains rooted in emotion, memory, and anger.
Adding to this is the humanitarian concern. Civilians are often caught in the crossfire innocent villagers suspected as informers have been targeted by Maoists, while security forces too have been accused of harassment and extra-judicial action. Trust is hard to build in an atmosphere filled with fear and gunfire.
Efforts by civil society groups to bring peace through dialogue have been made in the past, but with limited success. Most recent talks have collapsed before they even began due to mutual distrust. While some activists call for political solutions and community-driven reforms, others argue that only a hard stance can eliminate insurgency.
In 2025, the situation remains extremely fragile. Though the state claims that violence has reduced overall, recent events prove that Maoism still thrives in the dark spaces where governance has not yet reached. The fight is not just on the battlefield, it’s also in minds and hearts.
If real peace is to be achieved, it cannot come from guns alone. It must come through justice, dignity, inclusion, and long-term development.
Challenges to Solving the Problem
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| ACLED‑based incident map of Maoist activity in India during 2025 |
Despite years of efforts by the government, civil society, and security forces, the Maoist insurgency in India remains deeply rooted and incredibly complex. Solving this decades old problem isn't just about deploying more troops or building more roads.It requires addressing deep structural, political, and psychological challenges that continue to fuel the unrest.
1. Deep Mistrust Between the State and Locals
One of the biggest hurdles in resolving the Maoist issue is the deep seated mistrust between the tribal communities and the government. Many Adivasi villagers, especially in remote forest regions, feel abandoned or betrayed by the state. Past experiences of displacement due to mining, false police cases, and lack of compensation have created an emotional and historical gap that Maoists have capitalized on. Bridging this trust deficit requires more than just policy, it demands consistent action and accountability.
2. Limited Governance in Maoist Strongholds
In many affected regions, the government's presence is barely visible beyond the police or military forces. Basic services like healthcare, schools, drinking water, and roads are still missing in several areas. This vacuum of governance gives Maoists space to operate, influence locals, and present themselves as an alternative power. Until the state establishes sustained civic administration, people may continue to look elsewhere for justice and security.
3. One Sided Development Models
Large-scale development projects like mining, dams, and industrial corridors have often come at the cost of tribal rights and forest ecosystems. Forced displacement, lack of rehabilitation, and broken promises have made these projects controversial. While they are meant to bring prosperity, they have in many cases brought alienation, loss, and anger. The challenge lies in crafting inclusive development that respects tribal culture and consent, not just economic gain.
4. Security First Approach Without Dialogue
The government's strategy has often focused heavily on military operations Operation Green Hunt, CRPF deployment, and jungle warfare units. While this is essential for law and order, lack of parallel political dialogue or community engagement limits long-term results. Without addressing the root causes through peace talks, education, and empowerment, insurgency may weaken temporarily but won’t vanish permanently.
5. Infiltration of Maoist Ideology in Newer Regions
While core strongholds remain in central India, Maoist ideology has tried to expand into other marginalised regions, such as parts of Odisha, Jharkhand, and even Andhra Pradesh. This reflects the underlying grievances that still exist in many parts of India. If social injustice and economic inequality remain unaddressed, new insurgent bases may form, making it even harder to contain the problem geographically.
6. Lack of Political Will and Continuity
Political attention on Maoist insurgency tends to peak during violent attacks but fades quickly afterward. Changes in government also bring changes in policy focus. There’s often no long term, consistent roadmap followed over decades. Solutions to such deep rooted problems require multiparty commitment, stable vision, and constant investment, not just election-year promises.
7. Media Apathy and Biased Narratives
Mainstream media often either sensationalizes Maoist attacks or ignores the underlying issues. This leads to public misunderstanding, where the problem is seen only as “law and order,” not as a complex socio-political issue. A lack of nuanced journalism and ground reporting further alienates tribal voices and oversimplifies the conflict in the public eye.
8. Civilian Casualties and Human Rights Violations
Both Maoists and security forces have been accused of violating human rights from the killing of innocent civilians to fake encounters, forced surrenders, and custodial torture. These actions create fear among locals, reduce support for the state, and add fuel to the Maoist narrative. Addressing this challenge requires not just stricter rules for the forces but independent oversight and justice delivery.
Conclusion
The road to ending the Maoist insurgency is long and layered. The challenges are not just tactical they are emotional, historical, and deeply personal for many communities involved. Real peace will not come from the barrel of a gun alone, but from healing, trustbuilding, justice, and sustained development.
The Maoist problem is not just a security issue it's a human issue. It’s about neglected lives, broken promises, and unheard voices. While violence should never be justified, the solution lies not just in guns but in governance, trust, and justice.
The road ahead is tough, but not impossible. As India grows, it must ensure that no citizen, whether in a forest or a metro city is left behind.
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| Gond tribal women walk through Chhattisgarh forest to collect water. |
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