The Naxal attack in Dantewada, killing 10 jawans of District Reserve Guard (DRG) and their civilian driver, has demonstrated the fact that despite being in the last stretches of their existence, Maoists are still capable of causing significant casualties. While not much rigour is left in the fight against Naxals, any complacency or deviation from Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) can lead to loss of lives. India has indeed come a long way in its fight against Left-wing extremism (LWE). Back in 2009, the then Prime Minister described the Maoist movement as “the greatest internal security threat to our nation.” Just a decade later, the Union Home Minister Amit Shah would assert that the influence of the Maoists had reduced from 96 districts in 10 states in 2010 to just 41 by late 2021. It is a well-acknowledged fact that LWE is living on its last vestiges in states including Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, Jharkhand, Odisha and Bihar, which once enjoyed the notoriety of being strongholds of the Naxal movement. The gradual obliteration of LWE’s traces from the map of India can be attributed to two factors — weakening of the Naxal movement and strong strategic response from the governments. While on one hand, owing to their violent tactics, the Naxal groups have substantially lost their cord with masses, on the other, infrastructure build-up by the state, coupled with consistent assistance, has helped garner the confidence and support of the locals. A significant number of Politburo and Central Committee members are either dead or have surrendered. Among those who remain, many have grown old and are ailing. While the State evolved its strategy for the fight against LWE, Naxals remained stuck to their traditional, limiting guerrilla techniques. The fact that LWE still persists in the Bastar region of Chhattisgarh — along with the Andhra-Odisha border and in some districts of Jharkhand — can mainly be attributed to two reasons. Firstly, the difficult terrain and topography of the South Bastar region provides them a formidable hideout. Secondly, Chhattisgarh struggled to keep pace with counter-LWE strategies, at least for a large part of the previous decade. The lethal attack in Dantewada is a loud message that there is no room for complacency. Following the attack, Chhattisgarh CM has vowed to intensify counter-Naxalite operations. He held a high-level meeting on Wednesday evening to review the situation and said that the fight against Naxalism was in its last phase, and Maoists would not be spared under any circumstances. It is heartening that the CM has accorded due significance to the matter. His assertion that the fight against Naxalism is in its last phase can also not be negated. But certain caveats need to be put in place. The government must not act under the heat of the pressure. The response has to be well-composed and strategic, rather than reactive and hasty. Hard-edged military action should be avoided. History presents evidence that hasty and non-calibrated reactions from the State have only worsened the situation. The key lies in following the time-tested strategies, including winning the support and confidence of people. Rather than trying to create a rift between Naxals and locals, the state government should focus positively on fostering positive sentiment among people towards the state machinery. The immediate challenge, of course, will be to trace the culprits and ensure justice. A parallel probe also has to be initiated to investigate the intelligence failure and security loopholes. Though it is in the last phase, the fight against LWE cannot be taken lightly. The fact cannot be ignored that the timing of the attack is not completely unanticipated. Maoists are known to carry out Tactical Counter Offensive Campaign (TCOC) in the months between March and July. This is a safe duration for the Maoists, for after the onset of the monsoon, the terrain becomes riskier — both for the security forces and the Naxals. It can be said safely that such incidents can be avoided, to an extent.