News Brief
Left-Wing Extremism Spread Nearly Halves In A Decade, Concentrated in Key Maoist Strongholds: MHA Report
A Maoist rally (Wikimedia Commons)
The Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) annual report highlighted a significant reduction in Left-Wing Extremism (LWE) across India, with the geographical spread of violence shrinking substantially.
However, the report notes continued efforts by the CPI (Maoist) to expand into new areas along inter-state borders, though "without any significant success."
According to the report, LWE violence was reported from 171 police stations across 42 districts in 2023, compared to 328 police stations in 76 districts a decade ago in 2013.
“The arc of violence has been considerably restricted with just 25 districts accounting for 91 per cent of the LWE violence,” the report states.
The CPI (Maoist), designated as a terrorist organisation under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, 1967, remains the most potent among LWE outfits, accounting for over 90 per cent of violent incidents and 95 per cent of resultant deaths.
Chhattisgarh continues to be the worst-affected state, contributing 63 per cent of total LWE-related violence incidents and 66 per cent of resultant deaths in 2023.
The report acknowledges a slight increase in security force casualties and resultant deaths in 2023 compared to the previous year, attributing it to intensified operations in core Maoist areas.
However, it emphasises a marked improvement in the LWE situation during the first half of 2024, with a 1.7-fold increase in security force-initiated operations (59 to 103) and a fivefold rise in the neutralisation of Maoists (30 to 159) compared to the same period in 2023.
“The overall improvement in the LWE scenario can be attributed to greater presence and increased capacity of the security forces across the LWE-affected states, better operational strategy, and better monitoring of development schemes in affected areas,” the report notes.
The report also highlights the impact of developmental outreach and government measures, which have encouraged many LWE cadres to abandon violence and return to the mainstream.
The findings come days after Union Home Minister Amit Shah declared that the central government has significantly curtailed LWE and aims to eradicate Naxalism entirely by 31 March 2026.
