During Operation Kagar, 350 Naxalites have been killed so far, including some of the movement's top leaders.
Security agencies launched the anti-Maoist Operation Kagar last year to eliminate Naxalism in the country.
Syed Firdaus Ashraf/Rediff offers an explainer on Operation Kagar.
What is Operation Kagar?
Operation Kagar (meaning Brink) is India's biggest crackdown on Left Wing Extremism (LWE) to make India Naxalite-free.
The operation is Home Minister Amit Shah's brainchild, and he has provided a roadmap to the security forces to eliminate LWE by March 2026.
The operation, launched in January 2024, deploys 10,000 Central Reserve Police Force commandos, the Commando Battalion for Resolute Action (CoBRA), the District Reserve Guards of the Chhattisgarh police and the Greyhounds of Telangana.
How many Indians have died so far in Left Wing Extremism?
According to Home Minister Shah, between 2004 and March 31, 2025, 8,895 people have been killed in LWE in different parts of India.
This amounts to roughly 460 Indians killed by Maoists every year.
During Operation Kagar, 350 Naxalites have been killed so far, including some of the movement's top leaders.
So, who are Naxalites?
The word 'Naxalites/Naxalism' derives from the village Naxalbari in West Bengal where in 1967 peasants rose in armed revolt against local landlords over unfair wages and exploitation of labour.
What do the Naxalites want?
They believe in the violent overthrow of democratically elected governments for which they use guerrilla tactics through the People's Liberation Guerrilla Army (PLGA).
Though the movement began in West Bengal, it later shifted to Kerala, then Andhra Pradesh (later Telangana), Bihar (later Jharkhand), then Madhya Pradesh (later Chhattisgarh), parts of Maharashtra and Karnataka.
Before Operation Kagar, LWE had a presence in 38 out of India's 780 districts (external link).
What is the Maoists' plan for India?
According to the home ministry, in the first stage of insurgency, the PLGA resorts to guerrilla warfare which aims at creating a vacuum at the grass-roots level of the existing governance structures.
This is achieved by killing lower-level government officials, police personnel stationed at local police stations, workers of mainstream political parties and people's representatives of the panchayati raj system.
After creating a political and governance vacuum, they coerce the local population to join the movement.
What is the red corridor?
The term describes the geographical area where Naxalites have a significant presence. This includes states like Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, Telangana, Odisha and Maharashtra where the Maoists are active.
Where is Operation Kagar being conducted?
At present Operation Kagar is active in Telangana's Bhadradri Kothagudem district and Chhattisgarh's Sukma district.
These two states are the last stronghold of Naxalites. Operation Black Forest, a part of Operation Kagar, was launched on April 21, 2025, to dismantle entrenched Maoist strongholds in this rugged terrain, which includes dense forests and caves that serve as hideouts for the Naxals.
Why was the May 21 operation important?
Security forces eliminated Maoist leader General Secretary Nambala Keshava Rao alias Basavaraju, 70.
Twenty-seven Maoists were killed in the operation which was carried out in the Abhujmad area of Chhattisgarh's Narayanpur district.
Basavaraju had a bounty of Rs 1 crore (Rs 10 million) on his head and was responsible for several attacks on the security forces.
After his death, it looks like Amit Shah's vision of a Naxalite-free India by March is within reach.
© 2025