Introduction

For nearly six decades, the Maoist insurgency has tested India’s state capacity, governance, and security architecture. Born from socio-economic inequalities and agrarian distress, it once posed a threat spanning the “Red Corridor” from Andhra Pradesh to Bihar. However, in 2025, India seems to be witnessing what could be a historical inflection point, a near end of the movement. The combination of relentless security operations, developmental outreach, and ideological erosion has pushed the insurgency to its lowest ebb in history, limited now to just 38 districts.

Why is this in the news?

For the first time in six decades, the Maoist movement has reached the brink of extinction. This sharp decline is a historic reversal from the early 2000s, when the insurgency had spread across nearly 180 districts, posing an existential challenge to internal peace.

The Union Home Ministry’s data for 2025 reveals:

1. 270 Maoists killed, 680 arrested, and 1,225 surrendered.
2. The insurgency is now confined to 38 districts, a dramatic fall from its 2005 peak.
3. Top Maoist leaders, including Mallojula Venugopal Rao, have called for the “cessation of armed struggle”, signaling an ideological collapse within.
4. This represents a turning point in India’s counter-insurgency history, where military, governance, and psychological strategies appear to have converged successfully.

What led to the decline of the Maoist movement?

• Relentless Security Operations
• 1. Persistent operations by security forces under the Union Ministry of Home Affairs and state police coordination have dismantled Maoist strongholds.
  2. Leaders such as Katta Ramachandra Reddy and Kalayari Reddy have been neutralized, causing organizational paralysis.
• Curtailment of Resources: Maoists face acute shortages of arms, ammunition, and funding, with security blockades choking supply lines across Bastar-Dandakaranya region.
• Collapse of Ideological Unity: 
• 1. Internal ideological fractures deepened after the deaths of key leaders like Kishenji and Charu Majumdar.
  2. Letters by surviving leaders calling for surrender reflect a moral fatigue within the movement.
• Tribal Alienation: Once rooted in tribal grievances, the Maoist narrative lost resonance as tribal communities began benefiting from welfare schemes, education, and employment programs.

Has this happened before? Understanding the cyclical pattern

• Historical Fluctuations: The Maoist movement, born in Naxalbari (West Bengal, 1967), has seen cycles of rise and suppression.

1. 1. 1970s: Spread into Andhra Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, and Odisha.
   2. 1990s: Revival through the People’s War Group (PWG).
   3. 2000s: Peak insurgency affecting nearly 180 districts.

• Distinctiveness of 2025 Phase: Unlike previous lulls, this decline is structural, not temporary—rooted in the erosion of ideology and grassroots support rather than mere state force.

Is the movement really over?

1. Residual Threats Persist:
   1. Maoist influence lingers in border areas of Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, and Odisha.
   2. Their transition to smaller, mobile guerrilla units may prolong low-intensity violence.
2. Surrender vs. Rehabilitation:
   1. While many cadres have surrendered, effective reintegration policies—jobs, skill-building, and psychological counseling—remain key to ensuring they don’t relapse into militancy.
3. Need for Vigilance: Experts warn against complacency. Maoism thrives in governance vacuums—where corruption, displacement, or inequality persist, new movements could emerge.

What lessons does this offer for internal security and governance?

1. Integrated Strategy Works: A mix of security action, development, and psychological outreach has proven effective—embodying the “Samadhan Doctrine” (Solution through Smart Leadership, Aggressive Strategy, Motivation, and Action).
2. Development as Deterrence: Expanding roads, schools, and welfare programs in tribal areas helped dismantle Maoist influence.
3. Institutional Coordination: Joint efforts by the Centre and States, under continuous review of MHA, have created sustained momentum.

Conclusion

The “Red Sunset” of the Maoist insurgency is not just a victory of arms but a triumph of governance and persistence. India’s approach, combining security precision with socio-economic inclusion, offers a replicable model for countering internal conflicts.

However, sustaining peace will depend on addressing root causes, land alienation, forest rights, and local governance deficits, lest another insurgency rises from the same soil.

PYQ Relevance

[UPSC 2022] Naxalism is a social, economic and development issues manifesting as a violent internal security threat. In this context, discuss the emerging issues and suggest a multilayered strategy to tackle the menace of Naxalism.

Linkage: The 2025 developments highlighted in “A Red Sunset” perfectly exemplify how the government’s multi-dimensional approach, combining security operations, socio-economic welfare, and ideological disengagement, has yielded tangible results. It reinforces the UPSC 2022 theme that Naxalism is not merely a law-and-order issue but a socio-economic one demanding a holistic, multilayered strategy.

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