Record fatalities, arrests, surrenders signal decline of Maoist insurgency

Following a series of counter-insurgency operations and a wave of surrenders and arrests, India’s decades-old Maoist insurgency has significantly weakened, data show. This year, all three key metrics — the number of militants killed, arrested, and surrendered — recorded new highs.

The number of militants who have surrendered in 2025 stands at 1,849 — the third-highest annual total since 2000, surpassed only by the figures in 2016 and 2022. The chart below shows the total number of militants who surrendered across India over the years

Nearly 836 Maoists have been arrested this year, the highest since 2017. However, the arrests of Maoists were in general higher in the 2000s and 2010s than in the 2020s. In the 2000s, an average of 663 Maoists were arrested per year; and in the 2010s, 777 were arrested per year. In the 2020s, the average figure fell to 496 per year.

The chartbelow shows the total number of militants who were arrested across India over the years

With 333 fatalities, 2025 has become the second-deadliest year for Maoists since 2000, surpassed only by the peak of 343 deaths recorded in 2006. The chart below shows the total number of militant fatalities across India over the years

The reduction in the geographic spread of Maoist activity has accelerated in recent years. In 2013, there were 175 districts affected by Left Wing Extremism (LWE), shows government data. This included 29 districts from Bihar, 24 from Jharkhand, 21 from Chhattisgarh, 19 from Odisha, and 11 each from Chhattisgarh and West Bengal. The map below shows districts where Maoist actvity was recorded in 2013

In 2018, the number of districts declined to 60. This included 18 districts from Jharkhand, 12 from Chhattisgarh, 12 from Odisha and 10 from Bihar. The map below shows districts where Maoist actvity was recorded in 2018

In 2025, the number came down to 11. This included seven in Chhattisgarh and one each from Jharkhand, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra and Odisha. The map below shows districts where Maoist actvity was recorded in 2025

Source: South Asian Terrorism Portal

Janavi Visangan is interning with The Hindu Data Team