Seized weapons on display after India declares end to Maoist insurgency
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- March 30, 2026
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Weapons seized from Maoist rebels and fighters upon their surrender are displayed at a police facility in Dantewada in Chhattisgarh state's Bastar division Tuesday. (AFP) Indian police Tuesday displayed large caches of arms and ammunition seized from Maoist rebels, a day after officials declared the six-decade-long insurgency was over following a sustained security crackdown.Over the last two years, India stepped up its campaign against the last remnants of the Naxalite rebellion, named after the village in the Himalayan foothills where the Maoist-inspired insurgency began nearly six decades ago.The rebellion controlled nearly a third of the country with an estimated 15,000 to 20,000 fighters at its peak in the mid-2000s.It has since been dramatically weakened, with most remaining armed cadres confined to the Bastar region of central Chhattisgarh state — a vast, mineral-rich expanse of dense forests and hills.In Bastar's Dantewada district Tuesday, police laid out a haul of weapons ranging from crude, country-made mortars to carbine rifles looted from security forces.Rather than marking victory with a parade, officials said the display was intended to signal the rebels were "joining the mainstream".Five former insurgents were presented copies of India's constitution during the event.Bastar police chief P Sundarraj told AFP the strength of the insurgency had fallen to "single digits", down from nearly 4,000 fighters less than half a decade ago."Mission 2026 is coming to an end," Sundarraj said, referring to the government's long-promised deadline of defeating the rebellion by March 31, 2026."There will be a new beginning from April 2026 onwards."Sundarraj said the surrendered rebels were being given new civilian identities through vocational training and rehabilitation programmes."Earlier someone was in the armed squad (but now) they will be identified as a tractor driver or an electrician," he said. "Our focus is to get their violent past to be changed into a new identity."At one such rehabilitation centre, women were seen knitting blouses while men welded metal salvaged from discarded electric rickshaws to build park benches."I will hopefully set up my own tailoring shop back in the village," said 19-year-old Kope Madvi, who quit the insurgency after six years as an armed fighter.Others said they longed for a simple life away from conflict."I just want to go back home, farm and feed my family," said Vijay Oyam, 26.More than 12,000 rebels, soldiers and civilians have died in the conflict since a handful of villagers rose up against their feudal lords in 1967.The Maoists said they were fighting for the rights of marginalised indigenous people in forest regions, where mining companies also eye valuable resources. Related Story
