CPI (Maoist)
Origins, Structure, and the Red Corridor
The Communist Party of India (Maoist) — commonly called the Naxalites — is a designated terrorist organisation under India's UAPA, representing the most significant Left Wing Extremist (LWE) movement in the country. It traces its origins to the 1967 Naxalbari uprising in West Bengal, where peasant protests against landlords led to an armed revolt, splitting the CPI(M) and inspiring a Maoist revolutionary movement.
- Founding event: Naxalbari Uprising, May 25, 1967, when police fired on protesting sharecroppers in Naxalbari village, Darjeeling district.
- CPI (Maoist) formally founded: September 2004, through the merger of People's War Group (PWG) and Maoist Communist Centre of India (MCCI).
- Designated terrorist organisation under UAPA: 2009.
- Peak influence (circa 2011): 223 affected districts across 10 states; insurgency described as "the biggest internal security challenge" by former PM Manmohan Singh.
- Red Corridor: A geographical band of Maoist influence stretching from Nepal border (Bihar, Jharkhand) through Chhattisgarh, Odisha, Telangana, down to northern Andhra Pradesh — named for the red (communist) political ideology.
- As of March 2025: Reduced to 18 districts across seven states (from 223 at peak).
- Ideological goal: Overthrow of the Indian state through protracted people's war and establishment of a "people's democratic republic" based on Maoist ideology.
● Tracked since February 27, 2026 · last seen July 29, 2026 · updates as the daily brief publishes
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