New Delhi: Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Monday reviewed the security situation in Naxal-affected regions with the chief ministers and top officials of the insurgency-hit states, officials said, days after security forces killed 31 ultras in the forests of Chhattisgarh. The states affected by the menace include Chhattisgarh, Odisha, Telangana, Maharashtra, Jharkhand, Bihar, Andhra Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh.
The crucial meeting, which discussed anti-Naxal operations and development initiatives carried out in the affected areas, comes days after at least 31 Naxalites were gunned down by security forces in Chhattisgarh in one of the most successful operations against them in recent times. Due to the strategy of the Narendra Modi government, the Left Wing Extremism violence has come down by 72 per cent while there is an 86 per cent decline in deaths in 2023 as compared to 2010 and naxals are fighting their last battle now, officials said.
During the meeting, Amit Shah praised the Chhattisgarh government headed by Vishu Deo Sai. "The Chhattisgarh government has done a good job to control the menace of Naxalism.
"When I visited Chhattisgarh, I had conducted a meeting for six districts with the state's Chief Secretary and the Director General of Police. We had prepared a plan for eradicating Naxalism. I congratulate Chattisgarh Chief Minister, state's Home Minister, DGP and their team," Shah said.
The Union Home Minister informed that in Chhattisgarh, 194 Naxals were gunned down since January this year, while 801 Naxalites were arrested and 742 Naxals surrendered.
He further said that around 13,000 people have laid down their arms including in North East and Northeast. "I appeal to the youth, who are associated with Naxalism to come to the mainstream. All the state governments have made good rehabilitation programmes. Such youth should take benefit of such programmes and contribute to the country's development," Shah added.
Shah also said the campaign against Naxalism is getting good support. "Our government has adopted an aggressive strategy. Development has reached every village in Chhattisgarh. For the first time, voting happened in several villages in Chhattisgarh," he added.
Union ministers closely involved with providing development support to the LWE-affected states are also attending the meeting, along with senior officers from the Centre, states and Central Armed Police Forces (CAPFs). Under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the guidance of the home minister, the central government is committed to completely rooting out the menace of the LWE by March 2026, the home ministry said in a statement on Saturday.
The central government is providing all possible assistance to the LWE-affected state governments in fighting the menace. Shah last chaired an LWE review meeting with the chief ministers of the affected states on October 6, 2023. During that meeting, the home minister had given comprehensive directions about eliminating LWE. In the year 2024, more than 230 LWE cadres have been eliminated so far, 723 LWE cadres have surrendered, while 812 have been arrested. The number of LWE-affected districts is just 38 now.
The Centre has taken many steps, including impetus on road and mobile connectivity, to take developmental schemes to the remotest areas of the affected states. A total of 14,400 km of road length has been constructed and nearly 6,000 mobile towers have been installed in LWE-affected areas so far, the statement said.
It is understood that Chattisgarh Chief Minister Vishnu Deo Sai gave details of the encounter in which 31 Naxals were eliminated. The Chief Minister said that around 1000 security personnel were part of the anti-Naxal operation. He also said that 16 Naxals had a collective bounty of 1.30 crore them.
He also informed that 18 male and 13 female Naxals were gunned down. "The Chhattisgarh Police initiated action based on the specific inputs by the intelligence agencies. We are also extending all facilities to all Naxal-affected villages," he added.
