Anirban Dutta

Red Reckonin g Part 5 Our five-part series examines the rise and decline of India’s Maoist insurgency, once described as the country’s “greatest internal security threat” and the uneasy transition from conflict to control in its last strongholds. From the Puvarti bridge to the Bastar Band, connectivity and culture are reshaping India’s last Maoist redoubt. For decades, Abujhmad (literally “the unknown hill”) was less a place than a void on India’s map. Sprawled across the dense forests of...

Red Reckonin g Part 4 Our five-part series examines the rise and decline of India’s Maoist insurgency, once described as the country’s “greatest internal security threat” and the uneasy transition from conflict to control in its last strongholds. In the Naxal heartland of Bastar, the Indian state is no longer just clearing territory but opening accounts, extending credit and reclaiming everyday life.   Once defined by gunfire and fear, the village of Anandapur in central Chhattisgarh is...

Red Reckonin g Part 3 Our five-part series examines the rise and decline of India’s Maoist insurgency, once described as the country’s “greatest internal security threat” and the uneasy transition from conflict to control in its last strongholds. In the rugged terrain of Bastar, long defined in the national imagination by security bulletins and encounter reports, a significant transformation is underway. In Sukma district, one of the most acutely Naxal‑afflicted and logistically challenging...