ABSTRACT
The Maoists in India are a well-organized and trained insurgent group of persons from socially and economically marginalized sectors, including the untouchable castes and indigenous tribals, operating under the umbrella of the Communist Party of India (CPI) Maoists. Women have been involved with left-wing armed movements at various levels since its inception in 1967 in Naxalbari, a small village in West Bengal. Women found themselves retreating to their traditional feminine roles with virtually no space within the movement to address their experiences of violence. Women Maoist guerrillas leading violent campaigns was demonstrated in 2013 in an audacious attack on political leaders in Bastar, Chhattisgarh state, in central India. Several human rights or civil society activists have been hounded by security forces and have been arbitrarily arrested, tortured, and charged with criminal offenses such as murder, conspiracy, and sedition. Nevertheless, gender inequality and gender-based violence are as prevalent in the Maoist movement as they are in the mainstream political-social spectrum.
