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Polity & Governance GS 2 In the news 31 times

Left Wing Extremism (LWE) in India

Origins and Trajectory

Left Wing Extremism in India — also called Naxalism or the Maoist insurgency — refers to the armed revolutionary movement inspired by the ideology of Mao Zedong and the 1967 Naxalbari peasant uprising in West Bengal.

Key details
  • The Naxalbari uprising (1967) in Darjeeling district gave the movement its name; it was led by peasants demanding land redistribution under the leadership of Charu Majumdar and Kanu Sanyal.
  • The Communist Party of India (Marxist-Leninist) was founded in 1969 from this movement; subsequent splits produced multiple organisations, eventually consolidating into CPI (Maoist) in 2004.
  • At its peak (2009–2010), the LWE movement operated across 126 districts in 10 states — the "Red Corridor" — spanning Andhra Pradesh, Bihar, Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Odisha, Uttar Pradesh, West Bengal, and Karnataka.
  • The movement exploited tribal land alienation, displacement by development projects, lack of governance penetration, and adivasi grievances in forested areas.
  • LWE-related violence peaked around 2010 with over 1,000 incidents and more than 1,000 fatalities annually; by 2025, incidents had declined to historically low levels.
In the news

● Tracked since February 09, 2026 · last seen June 13, 2026 · updates as the daily brief publishes

13 Jun '26
Chhattisgarh's Post-Naxal Investment Push: Left-Wing Extremism, Development, and Internal Security
Economics
19 May '26
Naxalism Declared Eradicated: No District Remains LWE-Affected, Ministry of Home Affairs Confirms
Internal Security
18 May '26
India Declared Free of Left Wing Extremism: End of a Five-Decade Insurgency
Internal Security
18 May '26
India Declared Free of Left Wing Extremism as Operation Kagar Concludes in Bastar
Internal Security
03 May '26
Bijapur's Education Turnaround: From LWE Epicentre to Top Class 10 Pass Rate
Internal Security
18 Apr '26
India's Maoist Insurgency: From Red Corridor to Near-Collapse
Internal Security
12 Apr '26
From Red Corridor to Running Taps: Development Reaches Chhattisgarh's Last Naxal Bastions
Internal Security
08 Apr '26
Bastar's Post-Naxal Transformation: Chhattisgarh's 'Bastar 2.0' Development Blueprint
Internal Security
03 Apr '26
MHA Revises LWE District Classification: Red Corridor Shrinks to Two Core Districts
Internal Security
01 Apr '26
From Red Corridor to Development Corridor: The Governance Challenge Ahead
Economics
31 Mar '26
Bastar's 42,000 sq. km Declared Largely Free from LWE; IED Clearance Remains Key Challenge
Internal Security
31 Mar '26
Chhattisgarh's Two-Year Campaign Against Maoism: Operations, Surrenders, and the Road Ahead
Internal Security
31 Mar '26
End of Armed Maoism in Chhattisgarh: Bastar Enters Development Phase
Internal Security
30 Mar '26
Amit Shah Tells Lok Sabha: Entire Top Maoist Leadership Wiped Out, India Virtually Naxal-Free
Internal Security
30 Mar '26
Lok Sabha Debates Naxalism Eradication: Government Claims Near-Victory, Opposition Demands Accountability
Internal Security
27 Mar '26
Lok Sabha to Discuss Government's Efforts to End Left Wing Extremism Under Rule 193
Internal Security
26 Mar '26
Mega Anti-Naxal Operation as March 31 Deadline Nears: CoBRA Units Deployed to Jharkhand
Internal Security
26 Mar '26
Naxalism in Decline: The Future of 200-Plus Security Camps in Chhattisgarh
Internal Security
24 Mar '26
Odisha's Last Top Maoist Leader Sukru Surrenders, Active Cadres in Single Digits
Internal Security
23 Mar '26
Eight TSPC Maoists Arrested in Jharkhand's Hazaribag with Arms Cache
Internal Security
22 Mar '26
Left-Wing Extremism at a Historic Low: The Naxal Endgame and What Comes Next
Internal Security
20 Mar '26
11 Maoists Surrender in Gadchiroli as LWE Presence Shrinks to One Subdivision
Internal Security
11 Mar '26
108 Naxals Surrender in Chhattisgarh Amid Intensified Anti-LWE Campaign
Internal Security
07 Mar '26
130 Maoists Surrender in Telangana, Highlighting Gains in Left-Wing Extremism Containment
Internal Security
01 Mar '26
Odisha Declares Bolangir and Bargarh 'Naxal-Free': Seven Districts Now LWE-Free
Internal Security
28 Feb '26
Chhattisgarh Police Bust Maoist Dump: Arms, ₹46 Lakh Cash Seized in Gariaband
Internal Security
28 Feb '26
Ex-Maoists Visit Chhattisgarh Assembly: Rehabilitation and Counter-Insurgency Progress
Internal Security
18 Feb '26
India's Final Anti-Maoist Push: CRPF Operations Target Last 300 Operatives
Internal Security
18 Feb '26
Operation KGH-2: 2,000 Security Personnel Launch Anti-Maoist Drive Along Chhattisgarh-Telangana Border
Internal Security
18 Feb '26
Security Forces Demolish 44 Maoist Monuments in Gadchiroli
Internal Security

Plus 1 earlier mentions since February 09, 2026.

Related concepts
General Studies
SAMADHAN Strategy
General Studies
CPI (Maoist)
General Studies
UAPA
Social Issues
Government's Counter-LWE Strategy
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