Union Home Minister Amit Shah declared that India is now “Maoist-free,” calling it a historic moment in the country’s decades-long fight against Left-Wing Extremism. Shah made the announcement during his visit to Bastar in Chhattisgarh, one of the regions that witnessed the most intense Maoist insurgency over the past several decades.
Speaking at a public event, Shah said he could now “proudly declare” that India had become free from Maoist violence after years of coordinated operations by security forces and development-focused governance in affected tribal regions. He added that Bastar, which suffered the impact of Maoist insurgency for nearly 50 years, would now witness rapid transformation and development within the next three to five years.
The Home Minister credited the Narendra Modi government’s security strategy, intelligence coordination, infrastructure expansion, and welfare measures for the decline of Maoist influence across central and eastern India. He stated that security forces had successfully dismantled the top leadership and operational network of the CPI (Maoist).
Shah’s statement comes months after the Centre intensified anti-Maoist operations across Chhattisgarh, Telangana, Maharashtra, Odisha, and Andhra Pradesh. Several major operations over the last two years resulted in the killing, arrest, or surrender of hundreds of Maoist cadres and commanders.
The Union government had earlier set a March 31, 2026 deadline for eliminating Left-Wing Extremism from the country. Shah had repeatedly stated that the “final battle” against Maoism was underway and that development would replace violence in affected tribal belts.
During his Bastar visit, Shah also announced that several security camps in the region would soon be converted into tribal welfare and governance centres providing healthcare, banking, education, roads, and ration services to remote villages.
The Maoist insurgency, which began in 1967 in Naxalbari, West Bengal, gradually spread across multiple states and at one point affected more than 200 districts in India. The movement witnessed its peak during the 2000s before steadily weakening due to sustained security operations and improved state presence in remote regions.
However, some experts and activists cautioned that while organised armed Maoist networks may have weakened significantly, issues such as tribal displacement, underdevelopment, land rights, and local grievances still require long-term political and economic solutions.
Political leaders from the BJP described Shah’s announcement as a major internal security achievement for the Modi government, while supporters celebrated the declaration as the symbolic end of one of India’s longest-running insurgencies.
