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LEFT-WING EXTREMISM (LWE) IN INDIA - Coggle Diagram
LEFT-WING EXTREMISM (LWE) IN INDIA
HISTORICAL EVOLUTION
CORE IDEA
What is LWE?
Seeks revolutionary transformation of State & society
Uses armed struggle rather than constitutional politics
In India → commonly associated with Naxalite/Maoist movement
Maoist-inspired armed insurgency
NAXALISM
Origin → Naxalbari, West Bengal, 1967
Peasant uprising
Communist revolutionary movement
Gradually transformed into armed insurgency
CPI (Maoist)
Formed in 2004
Merger of People's War + Maoist Communist Centre
Principal Maoist organisation
Designated terrorist organisation under UAPA
1967
Naxalbari uprising
1969
CPI (ML) formed
1970s–80s
Fragmentation
State repression
Spread into tribal/rural pockets
1980s–90s
People's War Group
MCC
Expansion in central/eastern India
2004
CPI (Maoist) formed
2009
CPI (Maoist) placed under UAPA terrorist schedule
Intensification of coordinated counter-LWE strategy
2015
National Policy & Action Plan
Security
Development
Rights & entitlements
Governance
2018–2025
Geographical contraction
Security-force expansion
Roads + telecom
Intelligence-led operations
Surrenders/rehabilitation
2026
Government declares country effectively free from LWE
No district officially LWE-affected
New challenge → PREVENT RELAPSE
GEOGRAPHY → "RED CORRIDOR"
Traditional belt
Chhattisgarh
Jharkhand
Odisha
Maharashtra
Andhra Pradesh
Telangana
Bihar
West Bengal
Madhya Pradesh
Why these regions?
Forested terrain
Tribal concentration
Poor connectivity
Weak state presence
Land/forest conflicts
Historical socio-economic deprivation
IMPORTANT UPSC UPDATE
126 LWE-affected districts → 2018
8 → December 2025
No district officially LWE-affected → 2026
WHY DOES LWE EMERGE?
A. GOVERNANCE DEFICIT
Absence of administration
Weak policing
Poor service delivery
Justice deficit
B. SOCIO-ECONOMIC DEPRIVATION
Poverty
Unemployment
Low human development
Economic exclusion
C. TRIBAL ALIENATION
Land alienation
Forest access restrictions
Displacement
Weak recognition of community rights
D. DEVELOPMENT-INDUCED DISPLACEMENT
Mining
Dams
Industries
Infrastructure projects
E. RESOURCE CONFLICT
Forest
Minerals
Land
Water
F. POLITICAL EXCLUSION
Lack of meaningful participation
G. EXTREMIST EXPLOITATION
Mobilisation of local grievances
Parallel governance
Intimidation
Propaganda
THE "GOVERNANCE VACUUM" MODEL
DEPRIVATION
GRIEVANCE
ALIENATION
DISTRUST IN STATE
EXTREMIST MOBILISATION
VIOLENCE
STATE ABSENCE
GOVERNANCE VACUUM
MAOIST STRATEGY
Guerrilla warfare
Hit-and-run attacks
IEDs / landmines
Ambushes
Attacks on security forces
Destruction of infrastructure
Extortion
Recruitment
Intimidation
Parallel administrative structures
WHY LWE IS AN INTERNAL SECURITY ISSUE
Threat to State authority
Violence against civilians
Attacks on security forces
Destruction of infrastructure
Extortion economy
Disruption of elections/governance
Cross-state operational networks
Undermines rule of law
IMPACT
SECURITY
Civilian casualties
Security-force casualties
IED threat
ECONOMIC
Investment uncertainty
Infrastructure destruction
Development costs
SOCIAL
Displacement
Fear
Educational disruption
Human-rights concerns
GOVERNANCE
Parallel authority
Weak state legitimacy
Administrative vacuum
DEMOCRACY
Electoral intimidation
Political violence
Restricted political participation
CONSTITUTIONAL & LEGAL DIMENSION
5th Schedule
Administration of Scheduled Areas
PESA Act, 1996
Gram Sabha & tribal self-governance
Forest Rights Act, 2006
Individual rights
Community forest rights
UAPA, 1967
Legal framework against terrorist organisations
Article 244
Scheduled Areas & tribal administration
Seventh Schedule
Police → State
Public Order → State
GOVERNMENT RESPONSE
NATIONAL POLICY & ACTION PLAN – 2015
SECURITY
CAPFs
State police modernisation
Intelligence sharing
Fortified Police Stations
Forward Operating Bases
Technology
DEVELOPMENT
Roads
Telecom
Education
Healthcare
Skill development
Financial inclusion
RIGHTS
FRA
PESA
Tribal rights
GOVERNANCE
State presence
Administration
Banking
Public services
REHABILITATION
Surrender policy
Skill development
Financial assistance
Mainstreaming
SAMADHAN DOCTRINE
S → Smart Policing & Leadership
A → Aggressive Strategy
M → Motivation & Training
A → Actionable Intelligence
D → Development through KPIs
H → Harnessing Technology
A → Action Plan for each Theatre
N → No access to Financing
DEVELOPMENT + SECURITY
= "CLEAR → HOLD → BUILD"
WHY GOVERNMENT STRATEGY WORKED
Better intelligence
State-Centre coordination
Security camps in remote areas
Road connectivity
Telecom penetration
Leadership targeting
Financial disruption
Surrender & rehabilitation
Greater administrative presence
Development reaching previously inaccessible areas
DATA BOX → USE IN MAINS
2010
1,936 LWE violence incidents
1,005 resultant deaths
2025
234 incidents
100 civilian + security-force deaths
364 Naxals neutralised
1,022 arrested
2,337 surrendered
GEOGRAPHICAL DECLINE
126 affected districts → 2018
8 affected districts → Dec 2025
0 officially affected districts → 2026
INFRASTRUCTURE
14,000+ km roads
7,700+ telecom towers commissioned
46 ITIs
49 Skill Development Centres
179 EMRS functional
CRITICAL ANALYSIS
SECURITY SUCCESS ≠ COMPLETE SOCIAL RESOLUTION
Violence may decline before grievances disappear
Development must be participatory
Infrastructure must not become displacement
Tribal rights must accompany extraction
State legitimacy depends on justice + service delivery
"Winning territory" must become "winning trust"
NEW UPSC DIMENSION → POST-LWE INDIA
2026 = TRANSITION
FROM
Counter-insurgency
Security operations
Area domination
TO
Peace consolidation
Governance consolidation
Tribal empowerment
Economic integration
Rights protection
Prevention of relapse
POST-CONFLICT PRIORITIES
RESTORE
Government institutions
RECONNECT
Roads + telecom + digital services
REINTEGRATE
Former cadres
RECOGNISE
Tribal & forest rights
REBUILD
Schools + health + livelihoods
REPRESENT
Gram Sabha + local democracy
REASSURE
Justice + security + dignity
WAY FORWARD → "6R MODEL"
RIGHTS
FRA + PESA implementation
ROADS
Last-mile physical & digital connectivity
REVENUE
Local livelihoods + tribal entrepreneurship
REPRESENTATION
Empower Gram Sabhas
REINTEGRATION
Rehabilitation of former extremists
RESILIENCE
Prevent re-emergence of violent networks
THINKERS / REPORTS / SOURCES
Planning Commission / NITI Aayog studies
Governance deficit creates space for extremism
Expert Committee on Tribal & Forest Areas
Development must address displacement & rights
MHA
LWE Division
National Policy & Action Plan
Annual Reports
Constitutional framework
5th Schedule
PESA
FRA
MAINS ANSWER FRAMEWORK
INTRO
Define LWE + current status
BODY 1
Historical evolution
BODY 2
Causes
BODY 3
Security implications
BODY 4
Government measures
BODY 5
Critical gaps
BODY 6
Way forward
CONCLUSION
"The enduring defeat of LWE will depend not merely
on the absence of armed violence, but on the
presence of constitutional governance, rights,
opportunity and trust."
POSSIBLE UPSC QUESTIONS
10 MARKS
Why has LWE emerged as an internal security challenge?
Explain the significance of SAMADHAN doctrine.
Discuss the role of tribal alienation in LWE.
15 MARKS
"LWE is as much a governance challenge as a security challenge."
Examine the causes of decline of LWE in India.
Discuss the role of development in countering LWE.
Examine the relationship between tribal rights and
internal security.
20 MARKS
"The battlefield victory over LWE must be converted
into a governance victory." Discuss.
"Counter-insurgency without development is unsustainable;
development without security is difficult."
Critically examine.
With LWE geographically eliminated, examine the
challenges of preventing its resurgence in India.