Maoism to be wiped out by March 31: Amit Shah

Union Home Minister Amit Shah said security operations, infrastructure development and disruption of Maoist finances have weakened Left-Wing Extremism. After a review meeting in Raipur, he asserted that Naxalism would be completely eradicated before March 31

Raipur: Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Sunday said that a security-centric strategy, infrastructure development and disruption of Maoist financial networks have yielded positive results in the fight against Left-Wing Extremism (LWE), asserting that the menace will be completely eradicated before March 31.

Shah made the remarks after chairing a high-level security review meeting on LWE in Chhattisgarh’s capital Raipur, weeks ahead of the Centre’s deadline to eliminate Maoist insurgency.

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Sharing photographs of the meeting on X, the Home Minister wrote, “Today in Raipur, I held a review meeting with the Chhattisgarh government and officials on anti-Naxal operations. The security-centric strategy, infrastructure development, targeting of the Naxal financial network and the surrender policy have yielded positive results, and Naxalism will be completely eradicated before March 31.”

The meeting was attended by Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Vishnu Deo Sai, Deputy Chief Minister Vijay Sharma, the Union Home Secretary, Director of the Intelligence Bureau, and Special Secretary (Internal Security) in the Ministry of Home Affairs, an official said.

Directors general of the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF), Border Security Force (BSF), Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) and National Investigation Agency (NIA), along with senior officers from Chhattisgarh, Odisha, Maharashtra, Jharkhand and Telangana, were also present.

Chhattisgarh’s Bastar region, comprising seven districts and sharing borders with Maharashtra, Telangana, Andhra Pradesh and Odisha, has long been considered a stronghold of Maoists. However, intensified anti-Naxal operations in recent years have considerably weakened the movement.

According to police data, since January 2024, more than 500 Naxalites, including top cadres, have been killed in encounters in Chhattisgarh, while around 1,900 were arrested and over 2,500 surrendered during the same period.