'I can proudly declare India Naxal-free', says Amit Shah

RAIPUR: Union home minister Amit Shah on Monday declared that “Bharat is Naxal-free” and said the sacrifices of thousands of security personnel had ended a 55-year nightmare of bloodshed, fear and stalled development, promising that Bastar’s loss of five decades would now be repaired within the next three to five years.Addressing CAPF personnel, victims of Naxal violence and officers after a presentation ceremony in Bastar, Shah said the country had endured the “bad dream” of Naxalism from 1971 to March 31, 2026, and that three generations in affected regions had lived through killings, darkness of development and a bleak future.“I can say with pride that India has become Naxal-free,” Shah said. “This was a dream for which several jawans laid down their lives. There would hardly be any security force in the country whose personnel did not sacrifice their lives fighting Naxalism.”Shah said the target to end Naxalism before March 31, 2026, was fixed on January 21, 2024, despite warnings in closed-door meetings that it was too ambitious. “We prepared a working plan, implemented it, and with the blessings of Goddess Danteshwari, the day marking the end of Naxalism has arrived,” he said.Calling August 24, 2024, a date that would be written “in golden letters” in the history of Naxal elimination, Shah said security forces achieved in three to four years what many believed could not be completed in one lifetime.The home minister linked the security success with the launch of Shaheed Veer Gundadhur Sewa Dera, saying nearly 200 CAPF camps in Chhattisgarh, which had so far protected tribal communities, farmers, women and children from Maoist violence, would now begin a new role in development. Of these, 70 camps will be converted into welfare centres for tribal communities.“This will send a message to Maoist supporters and so-called intellectuals. Maoism did not spread here because there was no development. Development did not happen here because armed Naxalism was sitting here,” Shah said.He asserted that Bastar would now emerge as the most developed tribal division in the country. “There should be no doubt about it,” he said.Shah said the Modi govt had created several schemes for backward and tribal communities, but Bastar’s people were denied their benefits because Maoists blocked education, roads and governance. He referred to paddy procurement at Rs 3,100 per quintal, 7kg rice per person every month and 15% reservation in jobs for tribals.“But my Bastar did not get the opportunity. If education never reached, how could reservation help?” he said.He said Bastar’s food, art, sports, music and traditions were suppressed for decades. “Naxals destroyed it and ruined thousands of lives,” he said, recalling that surrendered Maoists had told him they were recruited as children. “One of them said Naxals picked up an entire Class three batch from school and all of them became Maoists.”Shah said Bastar was witnessing a “new morning” and moving firmly towards development, but added that this change had come at a heavy cost. He paid tribute to families of martyrs, victims of Naxal violence, DRG personnel, including surrendered Maoists who later joined anti-Naxal operations, CoBRA, CAPF, Chhattisgarh Police, Bastar Fighters, NIA, NTRO, intelligence agencies, home ministry officials, social leaders, journalists and public representatives.“The DRG and CoBRA fought with the greatest courage. This success came through a joint campaign of all,” Shah said.He said Prime Minister Narendra Modi had strengthened both external and internal security, adding that India had largely moved beyond three major internal challenges — Jammu & Kashmir, the Northeast and Naxalism — and was now moving on the path of development.Shah also spoke emotionally about his visit to the Sewa camp at Netanar. “I am a political person of sentiment. I have addressed rallies of lakhs, but the satisfaction I got among 400 tribals in Netanar was different,” he said. “When I heard a little girl say, ‘Ab hum bach gaye’, it gave me a satisfaction that is difficult to express.”The home minister assured families of surrendered Maoists that they would soon return as skilled and educated members of society. He said a detailed plan had been prepared for nearly 3,000 rehabilitated Maoists, with Rs 20 crore provided in the initial phase to help them live with dignity and reintegrate with their families.He urged Bastar society to accept surrendered Maoists with dignity and leave bitterness behind.Shah said Modi had set the target of a fully developed India by 2047, but that goal would remain incomplete without Bastar. “Without developed Bastar, the dream of developed Bharat is incomplete,” he said.He said now that Naxalism had ended, it was the government’s responsibility to compensate for the damage of the last 50 years and bring Bastar on par with the rest of the country within the next three to four years.“The home ministry will ensure roads, rural development, banks, post offices, gas cylinders, tap water in every home, free foodgrain, electricity and every other facility,” Shah said.Paying tribute to security forces, Shah recalled major operations such as Black Forest, Prahar and Octopus, saying they cleared Maoist strongholds from Chhattisgarh to Jharkhand, Bihar and Telangana.“How can I forget Operation Black Forest?” Shah said, recalling jawans climbing mined hills in 45-degree heat without worrying about supplies. “Had that operation not happened, had those hills not been cleared, a Naxal-free Bastar would not have been possible.”He said many personnel suffered dehydration, lost limbs and endured immense hardship during these operations.Shah also recalled major Maoist attacks including Tadmetla, where 76 personnel were killed, Ranibodli where 55 died, Manpur where 29 were killed, Burkapal where 25 personnel lost their lives, and Telam where 22 were killed. He also referred to villages being burnt and tribal families massacred, including one incident where 33 people, among them an eight-year-old child, were killed.“Now no innocent tribal will be killed, no school will be shut, electricity will not be cut, no levy will be demanded from fields, and the full price of tendu leaves and paddy will go directly into tribal bank accounts,” Shah said.Calling it a “big day for Bastar”, Shah promised that within five years, Bastar would become the most developed tribal region in the country.