NEW DELHI: Carrying weapons and resorting to violence cannot bring change, only peace and development can, Union Home Minister Amit Shah said on Saturday after security forces killed 16 Naxalites in Chhattisgarh.
"Another strike on Naxalism! Our security agencies have neutralised 16 Naxalites and recovered a massive cache of automatic weapons in an operation in Sukma," he wrote on 'X'.
The home minister said under the leadership of Prime Minister, the government is resolved to eradicate Naxalism before March 31, 2026.
"My appeal to those with arms is that weapons and violence cannot bring change; only peace and development can," he said.
At least 16 Naxalites were killed while two security personnel sustained injuries during a major anti-Maoist operation in Chhattisgarh's Sukma district on Saturday, officials said.