India Declares Nation Free of Maoist Insurgency After Decades-Long Fight

New Delhi. India declared the country free of the Maoist conflict on Monday, completing a long timeline to defeat the decades-long insurgency. Home Minister Amit Shah announced in Parliament that India was 'free' from the rebels known as Naxals.

“I can openly say that we are Naxal-free, there is no hesitation in saying this,” he said, “I will publicly inform the country after the entire operation is concluded.”

India has stated that it intensified its campaign against the last vestiges of the Naxalite insurgency over the past two years. The movement is named after the village of Naxalbari in the foothills of the Himalayas in West Bengal. The movement was named after the location where the Maoist-inspired rebellion began six decades ago.

The insurgency once controlled nearly one-third of the country and reached its peak in the mid-2000s with an estimated 15,000 to 20,000 fighters. However, it has weakened dramatically in recent years.

Most of the armed rebels were confined to the Bastar region of central Chhattisgarh state, a vast mineral-rich area of dense forests and mountains. “Bastar is now Naxal-free,” Shah said during a 90-minute speech, detailing the history and strategy adopted by security forces to end the rebellion.

He said, “The days of those who practice Maoist violence, Naxalite violence, are over.” In 2025, security forces killed 364 rebels and arrested 1,022, while another 2,337, including senior leaders, surrendered.

Civilian and security force deaths have decreased by 90 percent since 2010, and the number of Maoist attacks has dropped from 1,900 to about 200 last year. Shah stated that the government strengthened the capacity of local police forces in the affected states and deepened coordination among security forces.

“We have adopted an approach of all agencies, not just weapons,” Shah said, “Except for two Maoist commanders, all have either been killed or surrendered. They will also surrender soon.”

Chhattisgarh Deputy Chief Minister Vijay Sharma had previously told AFP that the state was completely free of Naxalite rebels. He said, “All their armed fighters have been killed.” The Maoists claimed they were fighting for the rights of marginalized tribal communities in forest areas.

Since the rebellion by a handful of villagers against their feudal rulers in 1967, more than 12,000 rebels, soldiers, and civilians have been killed. Former Maoist rebel Vishnu Madvi, 26, surrendered last January after seven years with the guerrillas.

“My commander barely survived the police action in 2025,” Madvi told AFP from a camp on Monday.

He said, “All our top leaders have either attained martyrdom or surrendered. There was no option but to leave the movement when the police surrounded us.”