About the Rise and Fall of NAXALISM in India

Naxalism began in May 1967 in the village of Naxalbari (West Bengal) )where a peasant uprising led by Charu Majumdar, Kanu Sanyal, and other leaders demanded:

• Land redistribution
• End of feudal exploitation
• Rights for tribal and landless farmers
• This movement soon evolved into a violent, armed struggle against the Indian state.

Naxalism is inspired by:

• Marxism
• Leninism
• Maoism
• It believes in overthrowing the government through armed revolution and establishing a communist society.

Early Expansion (1970s–1990s)

After starting in West Bengal, the movement spread to:

• Andhra Pradesh
• Bihar
• Jharkhand
• Odisha
• Chhattisgarh
• Urban Maoist leaders like Charu Majumdar were central to shaping the ideology.
• By the 1990s, different Maoist groups merged to form larger outfits.

Formation of CPI (Maoist) – 2004

The biggest milestone came in 2004, when:

• People’s War Group (PWG)
• Maoist Communist Centre (MCC)
• merged to form the CPI (Maoist).
• This remains the largest and deadliest Naxal organization.

REASONS FOR THE GROWTH OF NAXALISM

• Poverty, landlessness
• Tribal displacement due to mining projects
• Lack of roads, schools, hospitals
• Exploitation by moneylenders and contractors
• Weak governance in remote forest regions
• Maoist propaganda and recruitment among tribal youth
• Prime Minister Manmohan Singh once called Naxalism the “single biggest internal security threat” to India.

CURRENT STATUS OF NAXALISM (2023–2025)

• Sharp Decline in Violence
• Over 80% reduction in Naxal incidents since 2010
• Naxal-affected districts reduced from 96 to 45
• Many top Maoist leaders neutralized or surrendered
• Better roads, mobile connectivity, and welfare schemes helped weaken Maoist influence.

Remaining Hotspots

• Naxalism is now largely limited to:
• Chhattisgarh (Sukma, Dantewada, Bijapur)
• Parts of Jharkhand and Maharashtra (Gadchiroli)
• These dense forests still allow guerrilla activities.

Government Strategy

The Indian government uses a two-pronged approach:

1. Security Measures

• CRPF’s CoBRA commandos
• Greyhounds in Telangana
• Intelligence operations
• Modern equipment and drones

2. Development Measures

• Roads, banks, telecom towers
• Schools, health centers
• Tribal rights and land reforms