The anti-migrant backlash in Mumbai and other parts of Maharashtra held centrestage in the local, national, and international media until recently. Acts of vandalism by Raj Thackeray and his followers and the verbal duel between the political parties were covered at length. Even the heightened security at the Bombay Stock Exchange (BSE), following the interrogation of six suspected Lashkar-e-Toiba (LeT) militants arrested in Uttar Pradesh was highlighted in several media reports. In the midst of these security scenarios, another potential security threat is emanating from the red guerrillas, which seems to have been underestimated and downplayed by the media. However, security agencies of late have begun worrying about the penetration of rebels deep into Maharashtra.

According to media reports, eight Naxalite rebels were killed and five others seriously injured in an encounter with security personnel in the eastern Maharashtra district of Gadchiroli on 25 February 2008. Security personnel also recovered a huge cache of arms and ammunition including double-barrel rifles, grenades and country-made weapons, cartridges, and communication equipment from their possession. This latest encounter is the biggest anti-Naxalite operation in the recent past. Earlier on 12 January, in the largest-ever surrender of arms by rebels in the state, 55 Maoists surrendered to security agencies in Gadchiroli. Prior to this, four Maoist rebels were injured in an encounter with security forces in the forest region of Kachaler in Gadchiroli. In January, security forces seized a firearms production factory and a printing press belonging to suspected Maoists from Ballarpur in Chandrapur district and arrested three Maoist rebels. On 3 January, four Maoist rebels were injured in an encounter with security forces in the forest region of Kachaler in Gadchiroli. In December 2007, rebels had blown up a mobile tower, owned by a private company, which was followed by an encounter at Bandiya Bridge in Gadchiroli, in which two Maoist cadres were injured.

Gadchiroli, along with five other eastern districts in Maharashtra, namely, Chandrapur, Bhandara, Gondia, Yavatmal, and Nanded are considered the worst Naxal-affected areas in the state. The systematic targeting of land lords, contractors, defence establishments, government infrastructure, security personnel, police informers and surrendered Naxals has become a common occurrence in the eastern regions of the state. Additionally, timber merchants, contractors, tendu leaf traders, and local businessman have become prime targets of extortion in these areas. Several factors contribute to the rising red terror network here. A more in-depth analysis of the six Naxal-affected districts in the eastern part of the state indicates that all these districts fall under the economically backward Vidarbha region - fertile ground for Naxalite consolidation in these areas. They share borders with other Naxal-affected states like Andhra Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, and Madhya Pradesh; hence infiltration becomes easier. These Naxal-affected regions in the state share borders with the worst red terror-hit districts of Adilabad, Karimnagar, and Nizamabad in Andhra Pradesh; and Rajnandgaon, Bastar, Kanker, and Dantewada in Chhattisgarh. Besides, the natural cover provided by the forests, porous borders, and the socio-economic backwardness of the region have provided the impetus for left extremism.

Significantly, the Naxalite menace is not limited to the rural, forested regions in the state. Following the arrest of two top Naxalite leaders in Mumbai in October 2007, special task forces constituted for anti-Naxalite operations have been monitoring the spreading red terror network in some urban locations in the state. Prior to this, in May, a suspected Naxalite, who was a resident of Bandra, was arrested from Nagpur. He revealed his plans to sneak into sensitive places in Mumbai, Nashik, and Pune.

In Maharashtra, according to the Union Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA), there were seven fatalities due to Naxalite violence recorded in 2001; 29 in 2002; 31 in 2003; 15 in 2004, 27 in 2005, 49 in 2006; and 19 in 2007. However, media reports and the databases of various think-tanks claim that the actual figures of the casualties are much more than the statistics given by the government. Even though Maharashtra security agencies boast of having achieved significant success in their anti-Naxalite operations in the state, increasing Naxalite activity over the years brought to light by the reports of the MHA and various analysts, contradict these claims. The shift in the Naxalites' operational strategy from rural to urban areas in the state will certainly become a headache for the security forces.

Although much has been said about combining improved policing with socioeconomic measures to address the grievances that underlie the Naxal movement, it seems that the government is more concerned about policing and less about improving the conditions of the deprived and the destitute.