Amit Shah Highlights Plight of Women in Naxal Cadres in Lok Sabha
New Delhi: Union Home Minister Amit Shah invoked the harsh realities faced by women and girls trapped in Naxal (Maoist) cadres while addressing the Lok Sabha on Monday, questioning the selective silence of certain human rights advocates on the issue.
Shah asked whether the so-called champions of human rights would ever speak about “the human rights of the girl whom Naxal cadres abducted and who had not seen lipstick, nail polish or henna in her entire life.” His remarks came during a discussion on the government’s efforts to eliminate Left-Wing Extremism, just around the self-imposed deadline of March 31, 2026, for declaring India Naxal-free.
Sharp Decline in Naxal Influence
In his address, Shah credited sustained security operations, infrastructure development, and rehabilitation programmes with drastically reducing the footprint of Naxalism. He noted that the insurgency, which once affected over 100 districts across several states, has now been reduced to isolated pockets. The Home Minister contrasted the current success with what he described as the earlier neglect and even tacit encouragement of the movement under previous Congress-led governments.
He also criticised “urban Naxals” and certain intellectuals for focusing disproportionately on alleged state excesses while ignoring the suffering of ordinary tribal people, particularly women and children, inside Maoist camps.
Stories from Rehabilitation Camps
Drawing from accounts of surrendered cadres, Shah narrated the emotional story of a young girl who had been abducted and forced into the militant lifestyle. Living in “pants and shirts” — the standard militant uniform — she had been deprived of any normal feminine expression or childhood. According to the minister, the girl broke down in tears when she first applied nail polish after being rehabilitated, symbolising years of lost normalcy and freedom.
Such anecdotes underscore a wider pattern reported by security agencies and former cadres. Girls as young as 12 have allegedly been abducted for roles ranging from porters and cooks to combatants and human shields. Life inside the cadres often involved constant movement through forests, ideological indoctrination, minimal personal freedom, and in many documented cases, sexual exploitation, forced “marriages,” and pressure for abortions. Surrendered women have frequently described patriarchal control within the supposedly egalitarian Maoist structure.
A Balanced View of the Conflict
While highlighting Maoist atrocities, the broader Naxal conflict has seen victims on multiple sides. Human rights groups have documented instances of sexual violence and excesses by security forces and state-backed vigilante groups, such as the earlier Salwa Judum campaign in Chhattisgarh. The Supreme Court has intervened in several such cases over the years. Some women have also joined the movement voluntarily, citing escape from feudal village structures or revenge against perceived state oppression.
Nevertheless, official data shows a consistent decline in Naxal-related violence over the past decade, attributed to a dual strategy of strong anti-insurgency operations coupled with road-building, schools, hospitals, and livelihood programmes in affected tribal regions.
Shah’s emotionally charged intervention in Parliament has gone viral, reigniting the national debate on how best to address the root causes of Left-Wing Extremism while ensuring justice for its most vulnerable victims — especially young tribal girls caught in the crossfire of an outdated and violent ideology.
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