After the death of 210 members in the last 9 months, Maoists are ready for ‘peace talks’ with the central government. The Maoist Central Committee has said that they are ready to surrender and lay down their arms. The Communist Party of India Maoist (CPI Maoist) has issued a statement saying that the Maoists are currently seeking a temporary ceasefire so that the two sides can come to a solution through talks. However, they have also warned the government to not try any ‘tricks’ during the talks.
It has also been said that if the government really wants discussions, then Maoists should be given one month’s time. During this time, they want to discuss with the jailed top Maoist leaders and leadership in different states of India. However, the Maoists have also warned the government that no police operation against them should be carried out during this one month.
The message of the Maoist organisation is, ‘The police should not conduct any operation on them during this period. If the government wants, we are ready to conduct discussions through video calls from tomorrow.’
Statement issued by Maoists demanding time
The statement reads, “We clearly state that we will work with all political parties and organisations fighting for the public interest as far as possible in the future. We are ready to discuss this issue with the Union Home Minister or his delegation. Our request to the government is to give us one month to discuss with our colleagues in different states of the country. Not only that, we should inform the jailed Maoist leaders of our decision and make arrangements to discuss this issue with them.”
The statement issued by ‘Abhay’, a central committee spokesperson of the outfit, dated Aug 15, 2025, with a clarification that the note was issued late because of certain reasons, was released on Tuesday in insurgency-hit Bastar region of Chhattisgarh.
The Maoists claimed that since March 2025, they had been making “serious and sincere efforts” to initiate peace talks. On May 10, then General Secretary Basavaraju (who got killed in May in an encounter in Bastar) had initiated proposing a one-month ceasefire to allow senior leaders to deliberate on the issue of laying down arms.
Will build a Maoist-free India by March 2026: Amit Shah
Home Minister Amit Shah has given the message of building a Maoist-free India by March 2026. After the BJP government came to power in Chhattisgarh, the anti-Maoist operation has gained further momentum.
Elated with the achievement of security forces in Jharkhand’s Hazaribagh, Union Home Minister Amit Shah said on Monday that Naxalism has been completely eradicated from the Bokaro region in northern Jharkhand. “The entire country will be free from the Naxal problem,” he said.
In an X post on September 15, the Home Minister announced, “Today, in Hazaribagh, Jharkhand, a joint team of the CRPF’s Cobra Battalion and the state police has achieved a major success in an anti-Naxal operation. In this operation, the notorious Naxal commander with a Rs 1 crore bounty, Central Committee Member of CPI(Maoist) Sahdev Soren alias Parvesh, has been eliminated. Additionally, two others wanted Naxals, Raghunath Hembram alias Chanchal and Birsen Ganjhu alias Ramkhelawan, have also been gunned down by the security forces.”
With the 2026 deadline drawing closer, security agencies have shifted their strategy toward dismantling the Maoist leadership structure entirely. “We are employing surveillance, intelligence, and strategic force to wipe out the command structure of the insurgency,” said a senior officer from the elite anti-Maoist task force.
Maoists killed in recent operations
In 2024, 287 Maoists were killed in an operation by the security forces in the Bastar region. More than a thousand have been arrested, while 837 have surrendered. The campaign has further intensified in 2025. Reports say that 210 Maoists have been killed in encounters in the last 9 months. Of these, 13 top Maoist leaders have been killed in Chhattisgarh alone. Those with a minimum bounty of Rs 20 lakhs to 1 crore on their heads. In this critical situation, taking the war forward means gradually stepping on the path of death.
Under the BJP-led government, the anti-Maoist campaign has seen significant escalation. Between 2020 and 2023, 141 Maoists were neutralised. In contrast, the launch of Operation Kagar in January 2024 led to a sharp increase, with 223 Maoists killed in 2024 alone. In the first half of 2025, 145 rebels have already been eliminated.
The Bastar region in Chhattisgarh — covering 38,932 sq. km and including strongholds like Abhujmad and Dantewada — remains the epicentre of the conflict. Long considered impenetrable due to its dense forests and difficult terrain, the area is now the focus of high-tech and high-intensity operations.
Will the government accept the Maoists’ demand?