New Delhi: Union Home Minister Amit Shah The Center’s strategy against left-wing extremism has started bearing tangible results, the government said on Sunday, asserting that Naxalism will be eradicated by March 31. He made the remarks after chairing a high-level security review meeting in Raipur, weeks ahead of the government-imposed deadline.Sharing details of the Meeting X, Shah said the combination of security-focused operations, infrastructure expansion, disruption of Maoist funding channels and an effective surrender policy had significantly weakened the insurgents.“Today in Raipur, I held a review meeting with the Chhattisgarh government and officials on anti-Naxal operations. Security-centric strategies, infrastructure development, targeting Naxal financial networks and capitulation policies have yielded positive results and Naxalism will be completely eradicated by March 31. ” Shah wrote.
Senior central and state officials attended the review
The meeting was held at a hotel in Atal Nagar, Navaraipur and was attended by Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Vishnu Deo Sai, Deputy Chief Minister Vijay Sharma, Union Home Secretary, Intelligence Bureau Director and Special Secretary (Internal Security), Home Ministry.The meeting was also attended by senior security leaders, including directors general of CRPF, BSF, ITBP and NIA. Senior police officials from Chhattisgarh, Odisha, Maharashtra, Jharkhand and Telangana also participated in the discussion.Chhattisgarh’s Bastar region, which encompasses seven districts and borders Maharashtra, Telangana, Andhra Pradesh and Odisha, has historically been seen as the strongest base for Maoist activities.However, an intensification of anti-Naxal operations over the past few years has significantly weakened the movement in the region, according to officials.
Encounters, arrests and surrenders since 2024
Security forces have made significant gains in Chhattisgarh since January 2024. According to the Press Trust of India news agency, citing police data, more than 500 Naxalites have been killed in the clashes, including Nambala Keshava Rao, also known as Basavaraju, a senior leader and general secretary of the Communist Party of India (Maoist).During the same period, some 1,900 Naxalites were arrested in the state and more than 2,500 surrendered, underscoring what the center described as the combined impact of ongoing operations and rehabilitation measures.