NEW DELHI: In the first five months of 2025, security forces succeeded in neutralising close to 300 Naxalites, marking the fastest annual pace of elimination of left-wing extremists since 2009, officials said on Thursday.
They said the recent successes achieved by security forces indicate that they are on track to meet the target set to completely eliminate Naxalism in the country by March 31, 2026.
The last year in which security forces eliminated over 300 Naxal operatives was 2009, a senior security official said, adding, “Then 314 left extremists were killed, but that was in the whole year. If the current pace continues, 2025 could mark the most successful year in the decades-old battle against Naxalites.”
The official said that the ongoing operations against Naxal operatives are entirely based on actionable intelligence and better coordination among the central and state forces. “These factors allowed us to strike them with unprecedented precision,” he added.
The crackdown against Naxalites is now mostly limited to Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand and parts of Maharashtra.
On Wednesday, in a joint operation launched by the District Reserve Guard (DRG) of three districts, Naxal leader Basava Raju, also known as Nambala Keshava Rao, was eliminated. Raju, 70, was the Supreme Commander of the CPI (Maoist) and its chief strategist, having taken over the reins of the movement after Ganapathy’s resignation in 2018. His death, along with that of 25 others in the same operation, is being hailed as a landmark success in India’s fight against left-wing extremism.
Last month, in the biggest anti-Naxal operation, forces eliminated 31 Naxals. The operation was headed by CRPF DG GP Singh.
Muppala Laxmana Rao alias Ganapathi, who is almost 75 years old and functions as a senior advisor and strategist for the CPI (Maoist), is now on the security forces' radar. Two other senior Naxal leaders being tracked are 68-year-old Mallojula Venugopal alias Vivek, who is a senior central committee member and spokesperson of the CIP-Maoist, and 65-year-old Mishir Besra alias Bhaskar, who is known for coordinating logistics and communications.
Officials also said the spread of Naxal influence has been declining -- from 35 severely affected districts in 2014, the number has plummeted to just six in 2025. Overall, Naxal-affected districts have dropped from 126 in 2014 to 18 now.