Left-Wing Extremism

Story hook

It is 6 April 2010, 8:30 AM. A 76-strong CRPF road-opening party from the 62nd Battalion is patrolling the dense sal forest near Chintalnar village in Dantewada, Chhattisgarh. The sun hasn't fully cut through the canopy. The men are tired — 72 hours of foot patrols, no helicopter pickup since the LZ is in Maoist territory. Then the silence is broken by claymore-style IEDs detonating along the trail. 300+ Maoist guerrillas — under Ramanna, the Bastar zonal commander — open fire from elevated positions. The ambush lasts 40 minutes. Casualties: 75 CRPF jawans dead + 1 head constable from Chhattisgarh police. The deadliest single attack on Indian security forces since independence.

This was peak LWE — 2010. The CPI (Maoist) controlled or influenced 250 districts across 10 states. The "Red Corridor" stretched from Pashupati (Nepal-India border) to Tirupati (Andhra coast) — 92,000 sq km of liberated or contested zones. Estimated 9,000-12,000 armed cadre + 30,000+ militia. Annual incidents: 2,212. Annual deaths: 1,005 (security + civilians + Maoists).

Fast forward to 2024. Affected districts: 38. Annual incidents: ~140. Annual deaths: ~80. Top leadership decimated — Kishenji killed 2011, Ramanna killed 2016, Ganapathi died 2018, Basavaraj reportedly killed 2025 Bastar offensive. Home Minister Amit Shah announces target: Maoist-free India by 31 March 2026.

For UPSC, LWE / Naxalism is the single most asked Mains GS-III internal security topic, asked in 2013, 2014, 2017, 2018, 2020, 2022. This file maps the history, ideology, current status, and counter-strategy.

Why this matters for UPSC

LWE is India's longest-running insurgency (58 years from Naxalbari 1967). It tests both security capability and state penetration in the periphery. For Prelims: Naxalbari 1967, CPI (Maoist) 2004, SAMADHAN 2017, COBRA 2008, Salwa Judum 2011 verdict. For Mains: structural causes + government strategy + rights framework + lessons. Interview: nuanced view on security vs development trade-offs.