Overview
- Police and government accounts describe a decisive year that substantially weakened CPI (Maoist) leadership and infrastructure, positioning the Naxal-free target as attainable within three months.
- Bastar police report 1,562 surrenders, 256 Maoists killed, 884 arrests, 645 firearms recovered, 875 IEDs seized, and 52 Forward Operating Bases opened in core areas in 2025.
- Operation Black Forest in March–April destroyed Karregutta Hills hideouts and IED and weapons units, with officials saying it broke a major Maoist corridor and enabled sustained area control.
- Leadership hits cited include the May killing of CPI (Maoist) general secretary Nambala Keshav Rao in Abujhmad, September eliminations of senior Central Committee figures near the Chhattisgarh–Maharashtra border, and reports that November’s Maredumilli encounter killed Madvi Hidma.
- Late-year consolidation features December surrenders including commander Surendar alias Kabir, alongside development and rehabilitation steps such as reopened schools, the Pandum Cafe run by former cadres, and a first mobile tower at Kondapalli.