Elimination of Left Wing Extremism

Syllabus :GS 3/Internal Security

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The Union Home Minister claimed that Left Wing extremism will be completely eliminated in the country before March 2026.

The Left Wing Extremism (LWE) or Naxal insurgency in India originated in a 1967 uprising in Naxalbari, West Bengal by the Communist Party of India (Marxist).
Ideology: They are a group of people who believe in the political theory derived from the teachings of the Chinese political leader Mao Zedong.
- The Naxals strongly believe that the solution to social and economic discrimination is to overthrow the existing political system.
Leader: The initial uprising was led by Charu Majumdar, Kanu Sanyal and Jangal Santhal, who were members of the Communist Party of India (Marxist).
- The initial uprising was in the form of a peasant revolt .
Affected Regions: Although originated in West Bengal, the movement spread to the less-developed rural regions of southern and eastern India, in Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, Odisha and Chhattisgarh.

Tribal dissatisfaction arises from the Forest (Conservation) Act of 1980, which prohibits tribes who rely on forest resources for their livelihood from even harvesting bark.
The implementation of development projects, mining operations, and other factors has resulted in significant displacement of tribal populations in states affected by LWE.
Vulnerable individuals lacking sustainable means of support become susceptible to joining the Naxalite movement.
- Maoists exploit this situation by providing weapons, ammunition, and financial assistance to these individuals.
The country’s socio-economic system exhibits gaps wherein the government measures its success based on the number of violent attacks in Naxal-affected regions, rather than focusing on developmental efforts.
Insufficient technical intelligence hampers effective strategies against Naxalism.
Following the police’s control over a region, the administration often fails to deliver essential services to the local population, leaving them without the necessary support.

They threaten the locals before the conduct of elections and prevent them from voting. Violating the principle of participative democracy.
They resort to violence through their guerrilla tactics and attempt to set up their own government in the local villages.
They destroy the roads, transport system and government resources, thereby creating hindrance in governance and connectivity.
Urban Naxals, who sometimes operate under the cloak of NGOs or social-work units, raise questions about the use of force by government machinery.
- This helps them build a strong bastion of sympathisers and volunteers in towns and cities and across social media.
They resort to extortion, abduction of important personalities like Politicians, bureaucrats, police etc. and put up their demand.
They hire vulnerable people who have low literacy levels, unemployed or low income, particularly the tribals, who aren’t aware of the consequences of joining such forces, building up their cadre.
They attack the police, government and collect weapons, technological devices to fight against them on the technological front.

As per Seventh Schedule of the Constitution of India, subjects of Police and Public Order are with the State Governments.
- However, the Government of India (GoI) has been supplementing the efforts of States affected by Left Wing Extremism (LWE).
National Policy and Action Plan (2015): Multi-pronged strategy to address LWE.
Security Measures: Deployment of Central Armed Police Forces battalions
- Training and modernization funds for State police
- Provision of equipment and arms
- Intelligence sharing
- Construction of Fortified Police Stations
Development Initiatives:
- Expansion of road networkImproved telecommunication connectivity
- Skilling and financial inclusion programs
The Bandyopadhyay Committee (2006) highlighted the lack of governance, economic, socio-political and cultural discrimination against the tribals as the chief reason for the spread of Naxalism.
- The Committee recommended tribal-friendly land acquisition and rehabilitation as a means to counter this issue.
Operation Green Hunt: It was started in 2009-10 and massive deployment of security forces was done in the Naxal-affected areas
Aspirational Districts Programme: Launched in 2018, it aims to rapidly transform the districts that have shown relatively lesser progress in key social areas.
SAMADHAN doctrine is the one-stop solution for the LWE problem

53% reduction in incidents.
70% reduction in fatalities.
Affected districts decreased from 126 (2013) to 38 (2024).
States like Bihar, Jharkhand, Odisha, Andhra Pradesh, and Madhya Pradesh are largely free of Naxalism.

Strategy should be developed for LWE, inter-state coordination, capacity building of security forces, investigation and prosecution, and development of LWE-affected areas.
Special Investigation Agency (SIA): States’ SIA should be trained like NIA for effective prosecution Inter-State Cases Should be handled by NIA, with a focus on preventing financing and weapon supply.
There is a need for continuous monitoring of government schemes to benefit LWE-affected areas.
There is a need to formulate policies for educating those affected by LWE.
Address LWE supply chains, financing, and ideological support comprehensively.
States must work together to achieve the goal of eradicating LWE by 2026.
Innovative measures are required to be employed in preventing IED (Improvised Explosive Device) related incidents which have caused significant casualties in recent years.
- Emphasis should be laid on the capacity-building and modernization of the local police forces.
States should rationalise their surrender policy in order to bring innocent individuals caught in the trap of LWE into the mainstream.
States also need to adopt a focused time-bound approach to completely eliminate LWE groups and ensure all-round development of the affected regions

Source:TH

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