Operations Continue Despite Monsoon Hurdles
Union Home Minister Amit Shah on June 22, 2025, affirmed that, for the first time, anti-Naxal campaigns would not pause during the monsoon season. Speaking at the foundation ceremony for the National Forensic Science University campus and Central Forensic Science Lab in Chhattisgarh’s Nava Raipur Atal Nagar, he declared, “Every time during the rainy season, Naxalites used to get rest, but this time, we will not let them sleep during monsoon and we will move further to achieve the target of 31/3/2026 to eliminate Naxalism.” He urged Naxal groups to surrender and embrace mainstream life.
A Mission with a Deadline
Shah has consistently set March 31, 2026, as the deadline to eradicate the threat of Naxalism nationwide. He emphasized that weapons alone won’t resolve the insurgency; peace and development are essential. Targeted states, including Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Telangana, Jharkhand, and Odisha, are under intensified scrutiny and monthly review to ensure consistent momentum.
Major Operations Yield Results
Recent counter-insurgency drives have inflicted substantial blows to Maoist leadership. Operation Black Forest (also called Operation Kagar), carried out between April and May 2025 by CRPF, STF, and the DRG across the Chhattisgarh–Telangana border, reportedly neutralized around 31 Maoists, among them leaders from top-tier units like the PLGA and DKSZC, and resulted in over 50 arrests and 84 surrenders. Shah praised these efforts as historic, calling them the beginning of the end for the Maoist menace.
Top Leader Eliminated in Abujhmarh Clash
In a significant breakthrough, the 2025 Abujhmarh clash on May 21 claimed the life of CPI (Maoist) General Secretary Nambala Keshava Rao, aka Basavaraju, a leader whose bounty alone totalled ₹1.5 crore. With an estimated 28 other Maoists killed, the operation struck a pivotal blow to the insurgency’s core structure.
Security Credited for Turning Tide
Chhattisgarh CM Vishnu Deo Sai and Madhya Pradesh CM Mohan Yadav echoed Shah, citing dramatic reversals in Naxal influence. Sai detailed how 425 Maoists were neutralized in the past 18 months through killings, surrenders, or arrests and emphasized that operations would press on despite seasonal challenges. Yadav noted Balaghat district’s shift from “most-affected” to containing Naxal activity, urging the insurgents to yield or face elimination.
Evolving Strategy: Beyond Firepower
While lethal action has been central, the approach extends beyond confrontation. Shah and other leaders emphasize the need for systemic development enhanced infrastructure, education, healthcare, and livelihood initiatives in tribal areas to undercut the ideological roots of insurgency. Security forces now operate from fortified posts that double as community outreach centres, in combination with sophisticated tools like drones and real-time intercepts, shifting the paradigm from reactive defence to deliberate offense.
Human Cost and Civilian Rights Concerns
Despite reported tactical successes, critics voice serious reservations. A Guardian report warned that aggressive operations, including extrajudicial killings and forced displacement, disproportionately affect marginalized tribal communities, suggesting that strategic motives including mining priorities may be driving the crackdown. They argue the ideological roots of conflict remain unresolved. This dissonance highlights the urgent need to balance force with justice and long-term reconciliation.
A Confined but Persistent Threat
Shah has repeatedly noted that the insurgency is no longer ubiquitous. Once spanning over 30 districts, the “most-affected” zones have shrunk to just six districts: Bijapur, Kanker, Narayanpur, Sukma, West Singhbhum, and Gadchiroli and total affected regions number around 18–38 districts across states with dense forests and tribal populations.
Human Angle: Soldiers, Citizens, and the Flag
Amit Shah recently visited security personnel who led operations in Chhattisgarh, congratulating them for their courage. He made a pledge to personally meet frontline soldiers in the field and acknowledged the “tricolour now flying proudly in red terror hills,” a powerful metaphor for the shift in control.
Challenges Ahead
Despite momentum, the monsoon season poses perennial obstacles, heavy rains, difficult terrain, and logistical hurdles. Maintaining offensive readiness through this period underlines the government’s commitment, though critics caution against overlooking due process and community rights amid the operational surge.
Outlook: A Nation at the Brink of Resolution
With a steadfast deadline in sight, India’s anti-Naxal campaign has reached a crucial juncture. The elimination of top Maoist operatives, coupled with recorded surrenders and focused development, signal a turning point. But true victory hinges on sustainable peace, reconciliation, and the upliftment of affected communities. As forces stay mobilized through monsoon and beyond, the nation remains watchful: will strategic ambition translate into lasting transformation, or will entrenched grievances spark new chapters of unrest?
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