These days, social media is infatuated with a new term: “Urban Naxals.” Although the name has been in use for some time, the notion of Urban Naxalism originated with the formation of the CPI(Maoist) in 2004. It is an age-old method utilized by the Maoists to target primarily urban areas, organize a vast number of people, and provide military personnel, infrastructure, and supplies. From the beginning, the Maoists’ goal has been to topple the Indian government through a people’s war. The Indian government regards the party as a “left-wing extremist entity” and a terrorist organization. The state governments of Odisha, Chhattisgarh, and Andhra Pradesh, among others, have formally outlawed the organization. The party vehemently backed Guerrilla Warfare methods and had several academics who would propagate the party’s ideology. As a country with a notably rich culture, majority rule method, and unity in diversity, India is far more than the Urban Naxals’ aspirations. In handling the Maoist rebellion, the Indian state combined both populist and adversary-driven approaches, which manifested in chasing the Maoist majority by submitting significant state assets to cement the security-insight basis. The Maoist philosophy also strongly opposes globalization and ‘Hinduism.’ Many people who have expressed worry about the Urbanized Naxal phenomena claim that the actions are often clandestine, making it difficult to detect and identify individuals behind this effort. This threat’s obscurity makes it much more lethal. Thousands of people have been killed as a result of left-wing extremism. However, the number of killings has gradually decreased, this does not mean that the threat posed by such extremism has been fully eliminated. Several countries have also recognized the danger that this internal struggle poses. Many have stated that the term of Urban Naxal is too broad and includes every opponent of the current regime. We believe this to be true. The Naxal ideology is a threat to democracy and the nation’s unity. One must accept that the danger exists and that India must combat it. One must assume that the threat exists and that India must do more to fight it.
