Maoists announce offer to stop violence and peace talks with Centre, seeks ‘ceasefire’: Here is why ceasefire doesn’t mean anything when dealing with terrorists

In a purported statement, the outlawed Communist Party of India (Maoist), expressed readiness to give up arms and asked the Central government to announce a one-month ceasefire and pause the ongoing anti-Naxal operations. The statement attributed to the central committee of Maoists spokesperson, Abhay, is dated 15^th August 2025.

This statement offered a unilateral and “temporary suspension of armed struggle”. The Maoists also said that they are ready for peace talks with the Central government-appointed committee. This letter came four months after the killing of Nambala Keshav Rao alias Basavaraju, general secretary of the Communist Party of India (Maoist).

In the purported letter, the Maoists allegedly said that their leaders be permitted to partake in the talks and ‘warned’ that police pressure and continued encounters in this period would undermine the dialogue process. The letter also mentions an email ID, asking the Centre to respond.

The central committee of Maoists attributed changed global and national circumstances and Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s ‘requests’, for their pivot from continuing ‘violent struggle’ to seeking dialogue.

“To take forward the process of peace talks that was started on the initiative of the party’s general secretary (late Basavaraju), we are making it clear that in view of the changed global and national circumstances, as well as the continuous requests being made by the country’s Prime Minister, Home Minister and senior police officers to give up arms and join the mainstream, we have decided to shun arms,” it said.

“We have decided to declare a temporary halt to the armed struggle. We are making it clear that in the future, we will fight shoulder to shoulder with all political parties and organisations fighting for the public cause as far as possible,” the statement added.

Furthermore, the central committee of Maoists, also demanded the release of political prisoners, safe passage for cadres, and assurances that talks will be meaningful. They also said that they need one month time to coordinate with their jailed and underground members.

“We are ready to talk to the Union Home Minister or persons appointed by him or a delegation on this issue. But we will have to inform the party about our changed opinion. Therefore, our request to the Central Government is to give us one month to consult with our comrades working in different states across the country and those imprisoned,” it said.

“We are also ready to exchange views with the government on this subject, primarily through video call. Therefore, we are making it clear once again that (the government should) immediately declare a formal ceasefire for a month, stop search operations and take forward the peace process,” it added.

Meanwhile, Chhattisgarh Deputy Chief Minister Vijay Sharma, has said that the authenticity of the statement is being verified. Sharma asserted that Maoists should surrender and seek rehabilitation benefits.

He also stressed that the word ‘ceasefire’ is objectionable since there is no war-like situation and that in a democracy, talks cannot be conditional. The deputy CM, however, added that after the veracity of the said statement is verified, discussions within the government will be undertaken.

Inspector General of Police, Bastar Range Sundarraj P has said that the authenticity of the said press release in being examined and that any decision regarding dialogue with Maoists will be taken by the government.

“We have taken note of a press release issued in the name of the CPI (Maoist) Central Committee regarding the laying down of arms and the prospect of peace talks. The authenticity of this release is being verified and its contents are under careful examination. It is reiterated that any decision on engagement or dialogue with the CPI (Maoist) lies solely with the Government, which will take an appropriate call after due consideration and assessment of the situation and circumstances,” Inspector General of Police, Bastar IG P Sundarraj, said.

The timing of the purported Maoist statement seeking ‘ceasefire’ shows their desperation to save themselves from the crackdown by security forces. However, the contents of the statement are outrageous on multiple levels.

Firstly, there is no scope for a ‘ceasefire’. Violent Maoists are in no position to demand a ceasefire. They are terrorists fighting against the State.

Secondly, contrary to the ground reality, the tone of the said letter suggests that Maoist terrorists still have some power and are agreeing to have peace talks because PM Modi ‘requested’ them to do so.

Thirdly, the Maoist offer of “temporarily” suspending armed ‘struggle’ due to changed global and national circumstances, is a dishonest excuse, in reality, what has forced once-dominant Maoists to mend their ways is the massive anti-left wing terrorism operations being undertaken by the security forces on directions of the Modi government despite pressure tactics by left liberal think tanks, ‘activists’ and political sympathisers.

Such letters seeking ‘ceasefire’ and peace talks only reflect a desperate attempt of a terror outfit on its deathbed at pretending to still hold some power. If the Maoists really wanted to secure peace and relinquish their anti-national and terrorist ideology to the join mainstream, they would have surrendered voluntarily, cooperated with the authorities and availed benefits of the rehabilitation facilities the Central and state government are providing. For years, the Modi government has kept the doors of surrender and peaceful induction in the mainstream open, even amidst the operations to neutralise intransigent Maoists still unwilling to give up arms.

Either the Central Committee of Maoists, is seeking respite from persistent crackdown by the forces only to gather strength and resume their terrorist activities or are having a rude awakening that their end is near.

Not to forget, Union Home Minister, Amit Shah, has repeatedly said that by 31^st March 2026, left-wing terrorism/Maoism/Naxalism will be completely eradicated from India. To achieve this goal, the security forces have been undertaking operations in the Naxal-infected Dandakaranya region spanning multiple states.

Recently, 3 Naxalites, carrying a combined bounty of Rs 1.35 crore, were neutralised in the Pati Piri Forest of Jharkhand’s Hazaribagh district. Sahdev Soren alias Parvesh, a member of the Central Committee, carried a reward of Rs 1 crore. Raghunath Hembram, was a member of the Bihar-Jharkhand Special Area Committee and carried a reward of Rs 25 lakh. Meanwhile Birsen Ganjhu alias Ramkhelavan, member of the regional committee carried a reward of Rs 10 lakh.

Earlier on September 7 in Chaibasa, a prominent leader of the banned Communist Party of India (Maoist), Aaptan, was killed during a gunfight. Recently, a major anti-Naxal operation in the Gariyaband district in Chhattisgarh, the security forces eliminated 10 Naxal terrorists, including senior Naxal leader Modem Balkrishna alias Manoj, who had a bounty of ₹1 crore on him.

In pursuance of its zero-tolerance policy towards Naxalim, the Modi government launched Operation Kagar in January 2024. It is a multi-pronged strategy combining aggressive military operations, enhanced coordination between Central and State forces, and development efforts to address the root causes of Naxalism. Under this operation, around 1 lakh para-military troops, including the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF), its elite CoBRA units, District Reserve Guards DRG), and state police, have been deployed in the left-wing terrorism affected areas. These security personnel are equipped with modern technology like drones for information gathering, AI for intelligence gathering, and satellite imagery, among others.

As of 2015, approximately 106 districts across 10 states were classified as Naxal-affected. This number was reduced to 38 by 2024 and further to 18. Out of these, 12 were considered the most impacted by Naxal activities, yet this figure has now fallen to just 6.