• In one of the biggest operations against Maoists in Chhattisgarh, security personnel killed 28 Naxalites in a fierce encounter in the Bastar region.

• A cache of weapons, including an AK-47 rifle and one SLR (self-loading rifle), were also recovered from the encounter spot.

• After the latest encounter, 185 Maoists have been gunned down by security forces in separate gun battles in the Bastar region comprising seven districts, including Dantewada and Narayanpur, so far this year, police said. 

• On April 16, as many as 29 Naxalites, including some higher-ranking cadres, were killed in an encounter with security personnel in Kanker district.

• According to security forces, more than 40 anti-naxal operations were undertaken this year as part of ‘Maad Bachao Abhiyan-Save Maad from Naxalism’ — including six major operations since April where a total of 63 Maoists were killed.

What is Left Wing Extremism (LWE)?

• In 1967, a peasant uprising took place in the Naxalbari police station area of Darjeeling hills district in West Bengal. Beginning from the Naxalbari police station, the peasant movement spread to several states of India and came to be referred to broadly as the Naxalite movement.

• The supporters of the Naxalite movement advocated the use of violent means to achieve their political goals. 

• According to the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA), the Communist Party of India (Maoist), is the major Left Wing Extremist (LWE) outfit responsible for a majority of incidents of violence and killing of civilians and security forces. 

• The Peoples’ Liberation Guerrilla Army (PLGA), the armed wing of CPI (Maoist), resorts to guerrilla warfare.

• According to the Centre, 90 districts in 11 states are considered LWE affected.

These states are:

• Andhra Pradesh 

• Bihar

• Chhattisgarh

• Jharkhand

• Madhya Pradesh

• Maharashtra

• Odisha

• Telangana

• Uttar Pradesh

• West Bengal 

• Kerala.

• Over the years, governments have taken stern measures in dealing with the Naxalite movement. Human rights activists have criticised the governments for violating constitutional norms in dealing with the Naxalites.

Current Situation of Left-Wing Extremism (LWE) in India

i) Reduction in Maoist Violence: According to the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA), Maoist violence has significantly decreased by 77 per cent since 2010.

• The number of deaths resulting from this violence, including both security forces and civilians, has plummeted by 90 per cent, from an all-time high of 1,005 deaths in 2010 to just 98 deaths in 2022.

ii) Decline in Naxal-Affected Districts: The Indian government has reduced the number of districts designated as Naxal-affected from over 200 in the early 2000s to just 90 currently.

• The MHA reports that the geographical spread of LWE violence is now confined to approximately 45 districts.

iii) Concentration of Violence: The arc of violence has become considerably restricted, with only 25 districts accounting for 90 per cent of the total LWE violence.

• Notably, Naxalite presence has diminished to minimal or zero levels in states such as Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Odisha, Jharkhand, and Bihar, which were historically strongholds for Maoist activities.

(The author is a trainer for Civil Services aspirants.)