India, Feb. 10 -- One of India's longest-standing internal security challenges-Naxalism - is set to be eliminated by March 2026. The Government of India's resolve to meet this deadline is reflected in the scale of arrests and surrenders recorded in 2025. According to official data released by the Press Information Bureau, over 800 Naxal cadres were arrested in 2025, while nearly 2,000 surrendered and laid down arms, marking the highest ever attrition of cadres through arrests and surrenders in a single year of counter-insurgency operations.

These numbers underscore a decisive shift in momentum against the movement. Yet history offers a cautionary lesson: insurgencies rarely disappear with the silencing of guns alone. They resurface when ...