AHMEDABAD: The Narendra Modi government will eliminate Maoists from the country in a very short period of time, Union Home Minister Amit Shah asserted on Wednesday. Shah commended security personnel for their valour and dedication in successful anti-Maoist operations in Kanker, Chhattisgarh, resulting in the elimination of 29 Maoist insurgents.
The Central government has been conducting incessant operations against terrorism and Naxals, he said in a statement, a day after security forces gunned down 29 Maoists in Chhattisgarh. “I can say with conviction that operations against Naxals will continue in the times to come, and under the leadership of Modi, we will uproot Naxalism from our nation in a very short period of time,” he said.
The home minister said since the formation of a BJP government in Chhattisgarh three months ago, more than 80 Naxals have been eliminated, more than 125 arrested and more than 150 have surrendered.
Shah said a large number of camps of security forces have been set up in Maoist-affected areas since 2014. Since 2019, as many as 250 such camps have been set up, ending the security vacuum, he said.
In the biggest encounter in Chhattisgarh, security personnel on Tuesday gunned down 29 Naxalites, including some senior members, in Kanker district. This was the highest fatalities suffered by Maoists in a single encounter in the history of the state’s fight against Left Wing Extremism.
Since the start of 2024, as many as 79 Naxalites have been killed in separate gun-battles with security forces in the Bastar region, a Maoist stronghold. Three security personnel also suffered injuries in the gun-battle and a large quantity of weapons was seized, officials said.The encounter took place close to Binagunda village within the jurisdiction of Chhotebethiya police station in Kanker. A combined team consisting of the Border Security Force and the District Reserve Guard was engaged in anti-Maoist operations at the time.
During the ensuing gunfight, the security forces responded swiftly to CPI Maoists, resulting in the death of 29 insurgents. However, one BSF personnel sustained a bullet injury in the exchange, yet received immediate medical attention and is reportedly stable, out of danger.
