Maoists continue sporadic attacks on police and government officials throughout the country. More worrisome are the extortion campaigns against businesses. The rebels demand "revolutionary taxes" from companies to avoid being attacked. In many cases, the police and army can protect the businesses, but often they cannot.
The rebels continue to get criticized over their recruiting practices (kidnapping teenagers to fill their ranks.) The rebels increasingly tell the critics to take a hike, as the Maoists could not survive without their teenage gunmen.