India, April 5 -- In the dense forests of central and eastern India, a six-decade-long insurgency once threatened the nation's unity. Naxalism, born in the 1967 peasant uprising at Naxalbari village in West Bengal, evolved into a Maoist armed rebellion under the banner of the Communist Party of India (Maoist), formed in 2004. At its peak in the mid-2000s, the so-called 'Red Corridor' stretched across nearly 200 districts in ten states, claiming thousands of lives, civilians, security personnel, and insurgents alike. It crippled development in tribal heartlands, extorted locals, and challenged the Indian state's sovereignty. By 2014, 126 districts were officially Naxal-affected. Yet, by March 31, 2026, Union Home Minister Amit Shah stood i...