The outlawed Communist Party of India (Maoist) has declared a temporary cessation of its armed conflict to promote peace talks, but simultaneously stipulated that the government formally suspend security operations for a month. A statement released by the Maoists on social media on Tuesday also urged the government to communicate its decision through government news outlets, including the internet and radio.
The Maoist organization proposed peace talks to the government. Despite the proposal, the government increased arrests and actions, resulting in the detention of thousands of activists. Simultaneously, leaders of the movement are being targeted.
In May 2025, 28 high-ranking Maoists, including the general secretary, were apprehended. The two-page statement, released on August 15 by Abhay, spokesperson for the Maoist Central Committee, came approximately four months after the death of Nambala Keshav Rao, alias Basavaraju, the banned CPI (Maoist) General Secretary, in a clash with security forces in the Bastar region of Chhattisgarh on May 21.
Deputy Chief Minister Vijay Sharma commented that the statement’s authenticity is under review, and the optimal course for the Maoists is to surrender and avail of rehabilitation benefits. Sharma, who also manages the Home Department, found the term ‘ceasefire’ inappropriate, as there is no war-like context necessitating it. He clarified that in a democracy, talks cannot be conditional, but the Maoists have once again presented preconditions.
He further stated that internal government discussions will follow verification of the statement. The Maoists stated in the statement that they previously proposed a ceasefire to the government and requested a month for consultation with their leadership. However, they expressed disappointment that the central government did not respond favorably, instead intensifying its operations.
The Maoists’ statement said, “In order to advance the peace talks process that was initiated by our party’s esteemed General Secretary (Basavaraju, who was killed in the encounter), we are clarifying that, considering the changing world and country conditions, in addition to the requests made by the Prime Minister and Home Minister of the country to senior police officials to lay down arms and join the mainstream, we have decided to lay down arms. We have decided to temporarily halt the armed struggle.”
The statement also indicated that they are willing to communicate with the government regarding the matter via video calls. “We therefore reiterate that the government should advance the peace talks process by formally declaring a ceasefire for one month and halting search operations,” the statement said, mentioning the delay in its release.
Inspector General of Police of the Bastar region, Sundarraj P, noted the police had taken cognizance of the press release from the CPI (Maoist) Central Committee, which discussed the possibility of laying down arms and peace talks. He said the release’s authenticity is being assessed, and its contents are under close scrutiny. He emphasized that any decisions on engagement with the CPI (Maoist) will be made by the government, following careful consideration of the circumstances.