Stepping in with Maoism in rapid retreat

Maoism seems to be on its last legs with mass surrenders by Maoists in the Dandakarnaya (DK) and other regions since October 2025. While the movement was on the decline since 2011-12, and faced a setback in 2018, it changed the form of its organisation as well as struggle in August 2024. The polit bureau (PB) of the CPI(Maoist) decided to split into smaller formations to avoid encirclement by the security forces. It also decided to remain in defensive mode unless the situation warranted attacking the security forces.

However, the adoption of this strategy, the party split when some central committee (CC) members and DK special zonal committee members (since August 2024) and the general secretary, Nambala Keshava Rao (alias Basavaraju) was killed in May 2025 with almost his entire security posse was wiped out in a gun battle with the security forces in Maad (Narayanpur district in Chhattisgarh). Some leaders, particularly PB member, Venugopal alias Sonu favoured peace talks with the government and asked to consult with other senior leaders. When the government declined such conditional talks, he surrendered along with 60 others (with weapons) in Gadchiroli. Another senior cadre under the name ‘Rupesh’ (in-charge of the north and west sub-zonal bureau of DK) surrendered with 210 Maoists and their weapons in Jagdalpur. CC member (from Chhattisgarh) and person in-charge of the People’s Liberation Guerrilla Army (PLGA) battalion-1, Madvi Hidma, was killed in Alluri Sitharamaraju district in Andhra Pradesh. Another CC member (from Chhattisgarh), Ramdher, surrendered recently in another special zone, Maharashtra-Madhya Pradesh-Chhattisgarh.

The PLGA Battalion commander and the secretary South Bastar division, have also surrendered, some of the cadres of West Bastar and others are still holding out. The central military commission head of the CPI (Maoist), Thippiri Tirupati alias Deoji, is for continuing the fight. In October, the Ministry of Home Affairs said that only seven districts in India were Left Wing Extremism-affected districts, with only three in Chhattisgarh the ‘most affected’ districts.

How is the government going to address the issues which prompted the Maoists to organise the masses against the state? Some of the cadres who surrendered have said that their struggle for tribal rights in the areas is still ongoing. While the surrendered cadres are being given benefits under the surrender and rehabilitation (S and R) policy of the Centre and the States concerned, there is no doubt that the DK region which lacks even basic amenities needs to be developed.

First, the network of medical facilities should be extended to interior locations so that villagers have access to health care. Anaemia is a health issue among the tribals of DK. Cerebral malaria is also widespread in certain pockets. The lack of safe drinking water has led to outbreaks of dysentery. There is also the issue of snake bites which are not uncommon in the jungles. Health centres must cater to the needs of tribals in areas freed from the Maoist influence.

Second, most tribals depend on agriculture and forest produce for their basic needs. Maoists dug ponds and created orchards to win the confidence of the tribals and induct them into the movement. They also forced contractors to pay increased rates to villagers for plucking tendu-patta leaves. Later, they took up land levelling to increase production and gain even more support. The government should now ensure the supply of good seeds (including fish seeds) and create better irrigation facilities by constructing check dams. While the minimum support price of many items of forest produce is notified by the government(s) annually, processing units need to be established where tribals can access them easily. The focus should be on increasing economic activity and the standard of living.

Third, more educational ashrams should be established in DK. This model has been quite successful in the past because it is not practical to open schools in villages that were sparsely populated. It is also necessary to undo the ‘education’ imparted to villagers by the Maoists through their krantikari jantana sarkar (revolutionary) schools. Most of the surrendered cadres are illiterate and need to be sent to government schools for basic education and rehabilitation. Many surrendered cadres are already trained in useful vocations and their skills can be tapped.

While the S and R policy provides financial benefits, jobs and housing, it must not be forgotten that most male cadres were forced to undergo vasectomy while in the Maoist movement. It is necessary they have a reverse vasectomy procedure to enable them to start a family. This facility must be provided free of cost in district hospitals. Similarly, the wives of the surrendered cadres should also be assisted with reproductive technology.

Many of the women who joined the Maoist movement were those who wanted to escape forced marriages by their families. Therefore, awareness needs to be spread through the siyan (elderly people) of villages to respect a girl’s consent with respect to marriage.

The State government has been implementing the Niyad Nellanar (‘Your good village’) scheme to provide the benefits of government schemes (about 25) to villages which fall within five kilometres of the remote security camps (about 50). However, with districts gradually becoming free of Maoists, this scheme must be extended to previously affected villages.

R.K. Vij is a former IPS officer