Bhopal (Madhya Pradesh): More than 600 villages across three districts of Madhya Pradesh - Balaghat, Dindori and Mandla districts - are affected by Left Wing Extremist (LWE), commonly known as Naxalism, said officials here on Monday.

The Government of India has set the deadline of March 2026, to eradicate the LWE problem from the country.

A large area where the LWE—commonly referred to as Naxals—find shelter is covered with forests and mountains in the state. The Maikal mountain range falls under the red corridor, which encompasses Chhattisgarh and Telangana, crosses through Madhya Pradesh, and connects with the Satpura and Vindhya ranges, passing through Shahdol, Sidhi, and Singrauli, eventually merging with the Chhota Nagpur Plateau, said officials

A large portion of Kanha National Park and the Phen Sanctuary (adjoining the Kanha Tiger Reserve forest area) also falls within the Naxal-affected corridor.

Special Director General of Police (Anti-Naxal Operations) Pankaj Shrivastava, speaking to Free Press, said, “Around 450 villages in Balaghat, 135 in Mandla, and around 60 to 70 villages in Dindori are LWE-affected.”

The SDG informed that, as per the police’s standard operating procedure, the station in-charge submits a report on villages, which includes details of crimes committed by the villagers.

“Based on these reports, the government decides if the village is Naxal-affected. These are typically the villages where Naxal activity has been observed—whether they entered the village, took away rations, held panchayats, or where similar activities had taken place in the past,” he added.

Recently, the Government of India removed Balaghat from the list of ‘critically Naxal-affected’ districts. The SDG noted that Naxal-affected districts are categorized into three levels: Critical which now includes six districts of the country, none form MP. Then in the Naxal-Concern category comes 12 districts including Balaghat from MP and the third category includes 20 districts including Mandla and Dindori which see low Naxal activities. Following Government of India directives, anti-Naxal operations are underway in the state. Security forces are conducting area domination and other activities in the affected regions, the officer said.

Naxal district categorization

• Critical – Includes six districts nationwide (none from MP)

• Naxal-Concern –12 districts including Balaghat from MP

• Low Naxal Activity – Mandla and Dindori among 20 districts across the country