Raipur, March 24 – Security forces have dealt a significant blow to the Naxalite movement in 2025, with official figures revealing substantial gains in the fight against left-wing extremism across central and eastern India.
The data portrays a rapidly weakening Maoist outfit, characterized by heavy casualties in encounters, mass surrenders, and the elimination of key leaders.
According to the latest statistics received from police and security personnel, they engaged in 99 fierce encounters with Naxalites throughout the year.
In these operations, 256 Naxals were killed, while 884 were arrested.
In a major morale boost for the forces, a record 1,562 Naxalites surrendered. Security teams also seized 645 weapons and recovered as many as 875 Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs) from the militants.
However, these operations came at a cost; 23 jawans were martyred in the line of duty.
In retaliation, Naxalites killed 46 innocent civilians during the year. This setback for the outlawed CPI (Maoist) is compounded by the fact that more than twenty top Naxal leaders have been eliminated in the past year and a half, severely disrupting the group's command structure.
Key casualties include: Madvi Hidma and Madvi Hidma alias Santosh – both members of the Central Committee, Baswaraju, who was the General Secretary and Politburo member, Jayaram alias Chalapati, Vivek alias Prayag Manjhi, Narsimha Chalam alias Gautam, Gajarala Ravi, Modhem Balkrishna alias Bhaskar, Sahdev Soren alias Prayag, Raju alias Katta Ramchandra Reddy, Kosa alias Kadri Satyanarayana Reddy, Ganesh alias Chamaru Dada – all members of the Central Committee.
Several members of the Dandakaranya Special Zonal Committee (DKSZCM) were also neutralized, including Sudhir alias Sudhakar, Kuhadami Jagdish, Renuka alias Bhanu, Jangu Naveen alias Madhu, Mundugula Bhaskar Rao, Randhir, Neeti alias Nirmala, Rupesh, Joganna, Dasru, and Raju.
Other key losses include Bhaskar (Macheriyal DVC Secretary) and Renuka (Central Regional Bureau Press Team member).
These figures signal a sharp decline in the Naxalite organization's operational capacity and ideological influence.
With hundreds of cadres either eliminated, arrested, or choosing to surrender, and its top decision-making bodies shattered, the once-formidable Maoist network appears to be on the back foot.
Officials view the 2025 campaign as a turning point in India's long battle against Naxalism, bringing renewed hope for peace and development in the country's most affected tribal regions.