It now appears certain that the Union government will meet its deadline of March 31, 2026 to eradicate Maoist violence from India. The surrender of party general secretary Thippiri Tirupati alias Devji, 60, and central committee-cum-politburo member Malla Raji Reddy alias Sangram, 76, along with 16 other members of the party over the weekend was only the latest in a string of successes for the security forces. The operation against Left Wing Extremism, announced a little over two years ago,
It now appears certain that the Union government will meet its deadline of March 31, 2026 to eradicate Maoist violence from India. The surrender of party general secretary Thippiri Tirupati alias Devji, 60, and central committee-cum-politburo member Malla Raji Reddy alias Sangram, 76, along with 16 other members of the party over the weekend was only the latest in a string of successes for the security forces. The operation against Left Wing Extremism, announced a little over two years ago, has switched gears in recent months — as fierce gunfights deep inside rebel strongholds have given way to a series of high-profile surrenders spanning Chhattisgarh, Maharashtra and Andhra Pradesh. No doubt, the relentless security inroads into territory once held by rebels, coupled with rising government pressure and waning public support in the villages, has forced the Maoists to come to terms with their impending end. Roughly two decades after then prime minister Manmohan Singh described Maoism as the country’s greatest internal challenge, this is a significant achievement.
It is now believed that the highest decision-making body of the insurgents, the politburo, has only one active member and the central committee has less than 10 members. Maoist branches have also released statements in recent weeks, underlining decaying morale among the rebels and admitting that losses had cut deep into their operational strength even as public opinion of the fighters had tanked. With the security onslaught showing no signs of slowing down, it appears only a matter of time before the Maoist resistance collapses even in the final pockets in the Dandakaranya and hinterlands.
What comes next? Establishing a credible and transparent civilian administration, with the active participation of the local communities, must remain high on the agenda of the government. As soon as areas are secured, the authorities must begin the move from a securitised to a democratic approach. Any complaints of human rights abuses must be addressed on priority and governance initiatives evenly distributed. The State needs to double down on participative development and democratic representation of the people. An absent government on the ground and botched security operations had laid the ground for Maoist ideologies to take root — which has taken tens of thousands victims and decades to uproot. The road ahead should be negotiated carefully, with deliberation and empathy.
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