---
title: "Bastar–Dantewada Conflict Zone: Naxalism Explained"
description: "The Bastar–Dantewada conflict zone is crucial for understanding India's Maoist insurgency, shaped by its tribal population and rich mineral resources."
url: "https://modeldiplomat.com/learn/glossary/dantewada-bastar"
---

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Model Diplomat Research Team · Last reviewed June 22, 2026

TL;DR

- The Bastar–Dantewada conflict zone is a forested tribal region of southern Chhattisgarh that has been the operational core of India's Maoist (Naxalite) insurgency since the 1980s.
- Why is the Bastar–Dantewada region central to India's Maoist insurgency?
- What was the Salwa Judum and why was it banned?
- How does the Bastar–Dantewada zone differ from the broader Red Corridor?
- What legal protections govern tribal land in the conflict zone?

[Civil Service & Diplomatic Exams](https://modeldiplomat.com/learn/civil-services/glossary)Updated June 22, 2026

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## Timeline

1. 6 April 2010

   On Maoists ambushed and killed 76 CRPF personnel in the Tadmetla–Chintalnar area of Dantewada, the deadliest single attack on Indian security forces by the…

2. 25 May 2013

   On the Darbha valley ambush in Bastar killed senior Congress leaders including Mahendra Karma, the founder of Salwa Judum, and Vidya Charan Shukla.

3. 24 April 2017

   The Burkapal ambush of in Sukma killed 25 CRPF men.

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Example

In April 2025, Indian security forces launched Operation Kagar in the Karregutta hills along the Chhattisgarh–Telangana border, part of a wider campaign aimed at clearing the Bastar–Dantewada Maoist heartland by the government's March 2026 deadline.

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