India stands at a pivotal juncture today, witnessing the systematic dismantling of its most formidable internal enemy since Independence: the Naxalite insurgency. For decades, this violent Maoist rebellion has cast a long, dark shadow across vast swathes of our nation, particularly the mineral-rich ‘Red Corridor,’ choking development, terrorising communities, and challenging the very writ of the Indian state. In recent months, the Narendra Modi government has intensified its hunt for Naxal extremists, killing about 300 insurgents this year alone.

Last week came news of security forces in Chhattisgarh successfully eliminating Nambala Keshav Rao, alias Basavaraju. This has served as a body blow to the Naxal movement as a whole, which now faces a multi-pronged crisis—including the elimination of its top leader. For perspective, this is the first time in over three decades that the fountain-head of the Naxal movement—of General Secretary rank—has been killed. The cheery on top is the fact that the operation to gun Basavaraju down was conducted not by the CRPF, but by Chhattisgarh Police’s District Reserve Guard (DRG).

This brings us to a crucial, often underappreciated, element of the current success: India is now turning the very people once coerced or misled by Naxals into a potent weapon against the insurgency. The DRG, largely composed........

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