Painting Red Corridor Green: India's Journey Beyond Left Wing Extremism

Under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and strategic guidance of Home Minister Amit Shah, India has witnessed an historic and unprecedented decline in Left Wing Extremism.

- PRABAL PRATAP SINGH JUDEV

The menace of Naxalism, long a national security challenge, is now being defeated through a decisive combination of security action and all-round development. Data shows that between 2014 and 2024, Left Wing Extremism-related violence dropped by 53 per cent and resultant casualties (amongst security forces) by 73 per cent compared to the 2004-14 period. This remarkable achievement reflects the sustained commitment of the Modi Government's zero-tolerance policy towards extremism alongside robust governance and outreach to affected communities.

Once the "red corridor" spanned around 180 districts across Central and Eastern India, by 2021 it had shrunk to just 46 districts reporting incidents, with only 25 "most affected" districts accounting for 85 per cent of total LWE violence. By early 2025, that number had further diminished to only six districts - Bijapur, Kanker, Narayanpur and Sukma in Chhattisgarh, West Singhbhum in Jharkhand, and Gadchiroli in Maharashtra, were classified by the Home Ministry as "most affected".

The narrative of decline is no abstraction. In Chhattisgarh over eighteen months leading up to mid-2025, over 400 Maoist cadres were neutralised, over 1300 surrendered, and over 1400 arrested. Earlier, in 2024, 202 cadres were eliminated, 723 surrendered and 812 arrested, during a time when nearly 14,400 km of roads were laid and close to 6000 mobile towers established in LWE-affected zones - a fundamental shift in connectivity and outreach.