The Naxalite-Maoists: India's Longest Running Insurgency

Last month, Indian police claimed that at least 10 Maoists were killed in an operation in the state of Chhattisgarh, a hotspot for what is termed “left-wing extremism” in India. The Maoist (or, as it is locally known, the “Naxal” insurgency) sparked off in 1967 in the village of Naxalbari, in the state of West Bengal. Workers from mainly tea plantations launched a rebellion against landowners, setting off an armed conflict that is today India’s longest-running insurgency. Conflict intensified in parts of India for decades thereafter. Today, the Naxal movement has been significantly weakened and does not pose the security threat to India that it did in prior decades. However, it is far from insignificant; the insurgency continues to evolve and remains one of the largest internal security issues in India.