India, Aug. 28 -- For nearly six decades, Left-Wing Extremism remained one of India's most serious internal security challenges. Beginning with the Naxalbari movement in West Bengal, it developed into a prolonged armed insurgency across parts of central and eastern India.

In 2026, India reached an important turning point. On March 31, the Union government declared that the country had effectively achieved its objective of becoming free from Left-Wing Extremism. According to government data, the number of affected districts declined from 126 in 2014 to zero by March-April 2026. Naxal-related incidents also fell from 870 in 2014 to 234 in 2025, while fatalities declined from 310 to 100.

However, the decline in violence raises an equally i...