India’s Maoist insurgents are among the largest (or possibly the largest) organised left-wing extremist groups in the world at present. Women make up about 60% of the Maoist cadre, a fact that is not only overlooked in the popular narrative but also in the state’s response to it over the years.

In today's Hear Here episode, we delve into the world of female Maoists with editorial manager Riya Singh Rathore. We discuss women's role in the insurgency, its push and pull factors, the state's tendency to adopt a masculinist lens, and how the state can transform the conflict for the better.

You can read Riya's paper here - Gender Equality as a Counter-terrorism Measure: The Case of Female Maoists