Over 51,000 people applied for the Bastar Fighters, a special police unit aimed at combating Left-wing extremism in Chhattisgarh, India, but only 2,057 candidates made the cut. For those who failed, including candidates from areas where Maoist influence remains strong, the decision to apply for a police post was punishable by death. The Chhattisgarh government must now find a solution to protect these individuals and prevent them from being coerced into the Maoist fold.