Countdown to 2026: Inside Bastar's Final Battle Against the Last 300 Maoist Insurgents

Oct 29, 2025 08:25 pm CST

As India approaches Union Home Minister Amit Shah's 2026 deadline to end Maoist insurgency, Bastar remains the critical battleground with approximately 300 hardcore fighters led by four high-value targets—each carrying a Rs 1 crore bounty. Amid record surrenders and internal ideological fracturing, security forces face the challenging final phase of a conflict that has claimed over 4,600 lives during Chhattisgarh's 25-year history as the epicenter of India's Red Corridor.