India's decades-long Naxalite insurgency, which has claimed thousands of lives and ravaged large swathes of the country, originated in March 1967 with tribal peasants seizing land in West Bengal's Naxalbari block. Led by Charu Majumdar and influenced by Mao Zedong Thought, the movement spread rapidly, forming the "Red Corridor" across central and southern India, affecting over 200 districts by the early 2000s.
By 2011, the insurgency claimed 7,594 lives and generated ₹20 billion ($445 million) annually. State and federal responses included special police units like the Greyhounds and Jaguars, the Left Wing Extremism Division, and deployment of over 70,000 central police personnel. Prime Minister Narendra Modi's administration invested in infrastructure, building 14,474 kilometers of road and 5,139 3G mobile towers, reducing LWE-violence related deaths by 86 percent and affected districts from 126 to 38 by 2024. Despite government declarations of being "Naxal-free," sporadic attacks continue, with 78 deaths in 2026. New tensions from a mining boom in the "Rare Earth Corridor" and tribal communities' fears of land exploitation could fuel a resurgence.
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