Narendra Modi says "getting rid of armed Naxals" as insurgency is defeated

Speaking at India’s Independence Day celebration on Saturday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi declared that the armed Naxalite insurgency—a Maoist movement dating to a 1967 uprising in West Bengal that fought for poor farmers and tribal communities across central and eastern India—has been effectively defeated under his government. He nonetheless warned that sympathizers in intellectual circles still seek to stir unrest and must be singled out and separated. Modi did not reference recent youth-led protests that forced his education minister out, but stressed programs for young people and economic growth goals. Rights organizations have long alleged his administration curbs civil society and critics through security and funding laws.