The surge in Maoist-orchestrated killings underscores the rebels’ hardened stance, even as they issue public calls for ceasefires and negotiations.
On July 20, 2025, four to five unidentified cadres of the Communist Party of India–Maoist (CPI-Maoist) brutally murdered two villagers Kawasi Joga (55) of Chhutwai and Mangalu Kursam (50) of Bada Tarrem using sharp weapons. Both men were allegedly dragged out of their homes within the Tarrem Police Station limits in Chhattisgarh’s Bijapur District. This appears to be yet another retaliatory strike following joint Centre-State crackdowns on Naxal activity. Maoists frequently accuse civilians of being informants. The Jagargunda Committee of the CPI-Maoist later claimed responsibility.
Only days before, on July 16, 2025, CRPF Constable Parnewsar Koch from Assam was killed in a gun battle between Security Forces and Maoists in Birhordera Forest near Gomia Police Station, Bokaro, Jharkhand. Two Maoists were also gunned down. Their identities are still being determined.
That same day, Kawasi Hunga (38), a resident of Perampalli village, was murdered by four to five unidentified Maoist cadres under Usoor Police Station, Bijapur. Armed with sharp weapons, the attackers—disguised in civilian clothing stormed into his house at midnight and killed him on suspicion of being a police informant.
These killings reflect the group’s refusal to de-escalate their violent campaign, even as they promote a narrative of dialogue and peace.
According to data compiled by the South Asia Terrorism Portal (SATP), Maoists had killed 60 people in LWE-affected regions by July 27, 2025, 35 civilians and 25 Security Forces (SFs). This adds to 2024’s count of 101 deaths (44 civilians and 17 SFs in the first half, and 36 civilians and four SFs in the second). Since Union Home Minister Amit Shah declared on January 20, 2024, that the government would eliminate Naxalism in three years, a total of 156 people 111 civilians and 45 SFs have been killed.
Between January 2024 and July 2025, Maoists executed at least 78 explosions 58 in Chhattisgarh, 12 in Jharkhand, five in Telangana, two in Odisha, and one in Maharashtra. They also committed 13 arson attacks (seven in Jharkhand, five in Chhattisgarh, one in Andhra Pradesh), engaged in 176 gunfights with SFs (108 in Chhattisgarh, 25 in Jharkhand, and others in MP, Odisha, Maharashtra), and enforced eight nationwide shutdowns.
After the May 21, 2025 death of their top leader Nambala Keshava Rao alias Basava Raju in Narayanpur, Chhattisgarh, the CPI-Maoist Central Committee released a statement on May 28 offering to engage in peace talks—if anti-Maoist operations were suspended and new security camps halted. The statement read, “We are always ready for peace talks in the public’s interest. Therefore, we are proposing to create a positive atmosphere for peace talks in front of the Central and State governments.”
The Maoists reiterated this proposal on April 2, April 18, and April 25, asking the Centre to stop ‘Operation Black Forest’ and ‘Operation Kagar.’ Their appeal has gained traction among opposition groups and civil society movements in Telangana pushing for an immediate halt to violence and negotiations.
Meanwhile, a July 4 report from the National Investigation Agency (NIA) shed light on CPI-Maoist operative Rajesh Deogam from West Singhbhum, Jharkhand. He revealed how overground workers (OGWs) and sympathizers in the central zone were collecting extortion money, sheltering cadres, and planning attacks. Deogam was involved in organizing Maoist meetings and fundraising operations. Earlier, a March 2024 raid recovered cash and documents tied to senior Maoist Misir Besra. A senior official revealed that meetings between January and February 2025 focused on boosting extortion and arms gathering in preparation for pressure from government forces.
These meetings reportedly occurred in forested regions of Chhattisgarh. OGWs were tasked with coordinating arms transport and securing hideouts for Maoist combatants. The central zone includes conflict-heavy regions of Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, Odisha, Maharashtra, Bihar, and Andhra Pradesh.
Another intelligence report dated July 17 confirmed that Maoist cadres are decentralizing into smaller cells and discarding uniforms to blend in with locals, particularly in dense forests like Indravati National Park in Bastar, known for evading surveillance. Maoists have also planted pressure-triggered IEDs to slow SF advances, while blending in with village communities in civilian clothes, a tactic flagged by multiple intelligence sources.
On July 16, another report highlighted Maoist admissions of mounting casualties under intensified SF operations. A 22-page internal memo dated June 23, 2025, cited 357 Maoist deaths over the past year. The leadership blamed flawed guerrilla strategy execution and advocated a return to their original doctrine, likening guerrilla tactics to ‘breeze’ and ‘flowing water,’ emphasizing mobility over fixed encounters.
The CPI-Maoist reiterated past directives issued in 2004, calling for decentralized action and a hybrid strategy of open and covert operations. Their leadership urged combining legal activism with underground sabotage to resist the government’s elimination deadline of March 31, 2026, while reinforcing the PLGA People’s Liberation Guerrilla Army.
The group’s Central Committee also called for heightened civil resistance across 9 to 10 states to pressure the government to cease anti-Maoist campaigns. They appealed to followers to observe “Martyrs’ Week” from July 28 to August 3, 2025.
Nevertheless, on June 29, 2025, Union Home Minister Amit Shah made it clear that no negotiations would be held with armed Maoists. He declared, “Shun violence, give up arms and surrender. If you don’t surrender, we have resolved that by March 31, 2026, we will end Naxalism from this country.”
Security Forces have claimed numerous wins. Since January 2024, they have killed 573 Maoists 465 in Chhattisgarh, 35 in Jharkhand, 28 in Maharashtra, and the rest across MP, Odisha, AP, Bihar, Telangana, and Karnataka. They also arrested 713 and facilitated the surrender of 1,417 Maoists during this period.
The high command of CPI-Maoist has suffered heavy losses. Of the 43 Politburo and Central Committee members, 30 have been neutralized. SATP reports that of the 357 Maoist fatalities, 136 were women. Four died of illness or accidents, 80 in alleged “fake encounters,” and 269 in encirclement strikes. Those killed include four CC members, 16 state leaders, 17 PLGA combatants, six from support wings, and 34 civilians. Identities of 36 remain unverified.
While the Centre’s March 2026 deadline to eliminate Naxalism seems plausible, the Maoists have shifted focus. Their goal is no longer revolution but survival beyond the state’s clock. Still, analysts warn that aggressive SF tactics may alienate rural populations, potentially reviving support for the insurgency.
Whether India’s internal war ends in total victory or reignites as a new insurgency will depend on how deftly the state balances suppression with strategy in the final leg of its long war within.
