Better known as the ‘Bastar Tiger', Mahendra Karma was a top ranking tribal leader in Chhattisgarh.
He was a staunch opponent of the violent means adopted by Naxalites of Chhattisgarh. What stood him apart from other leaders was his advocacy for armed response by civilians themselves to the Naxal violence.
He always believed that the Naxalites can be defeated only if the civilians themselves took up arms and challenged the Maoists.