New Delhi, March 20 (HS): Union Minister of Home Affairs and Cooperation Amit Shah stated that under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the central government is moving forward with a ruthless approach against Naxalites. He claimed that the country will be Naxal-free before March 31 of next year.
In a post shared on the social media platform X, following the killing of 22 Naxalites in two separate operations in Chhattisgarh on Thursday, Amit Shah said, our soldiers have achieved another significant success in the campaign for a Naxal-free India today. In two separate operations by security forces in Bijapur and Kanker, 22 Naxalites were killed. The Modi government is moving forward with a ruthless approach against Naxalites and is adopting a zero-tolerance policy against those who do not surrender, despite various opportunities for surrender and inclusion. The country will be Naxal-free before March 31 of next year.
A statement released by the Home Ministry mentioned that under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the guidance of Union Minister Amit Shah, a zero-tolerance policy against Naxalism has resulted in the neutralization of 90 Naxalites this year up to 2025, alongside the arrest of 104 Naxalites and the surrender of 164 individuals. In 2024, 290 Naxalites were neutralized, 1090 were arrested, and 881 surrendered. So far, a total of 15 top Naxalite leaders have been neutralized.
The statement further reported that between 2004 and 2014, there were a total of 16,463 incidents of Naxalite violence, while during the Modi government’s tenure from 2014 to 2024, the number of incidents of Naxalite violence has decreased by 53% to 7,744. Similarly, the number of security forces’ deaths has reduced by 73%, from 1851 to 509, and civilian deaths have decreased by 70%, from 4766 to 1495.
The ministry stated that until 2014, there were a total of 66 fortified police stations, but during the past 10 years of the Modi government, this number has surged to 612. Additionally, while 126 districts were affected by Naxalism in 2014, this number has drastically reduced to just 12 in 2024. Over the past five years, a total of 302 new security camps and 68 night landing helipads have been established.
Hindusthan Samachar / Jun Sarkar
