RAIPUR: Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Sunday asserted that Maoist insurgents would be given no respite during the monsoon season, a period traditionally marked by reduced activity among the Red rebels in Chhattisgarh.
During his two-day visit to the state, Shah warned that security forces would maintain the same momentum in anti-Maoist operations throughout the rainy season. He reiterated the government’s commitment to eliminating Naxalism from the country by March 31 2026.
The minister urged 'misguided youths' associated with the banned CPI (Maoist) outfit to surrender and avail themselves of the state government’s “lucrative” rehabilitation policy.
“Lay down your arms and join the mainstream for a secure future. You will not get a better opportunity. Trust the government. Many have surrendered, and I assure you that both the Centre and the state will fulfil their promises,” Shah said, praising the Chhattisgarh government for accelerating the anti-Naxal campaign since January 2024.
Later in the evening, Shah chaired a high-level review meeting in Naya Raipur attended by Directors General and Additional Directors General of Police from Chhattisgarh and other Maoist-affected states. Chief Minister Vishnu Deo Sai and State Home Minister Vijay Sharma also participated.
Earlier in the day, Shah performed bhoomi-pujan and laid the foundation stone for a dedicated campus of the National Forensic Sciences University (NFSU) and a Central Forensic Science Laboratory (CFSL) in Nava Raipur. The combined project is to be developed at a cost of Rs 268 crore.
“These institutions will provide a strong foundation for a swift and modern criminal justice system across central India. All major forensic investigations will now take place in Nava Raipur. Our goal is to establish the world’s best evidence-based criminal justice system,” he said.
The NFSU campus, for which the state government has allotted 40 acres, will offer professional courses in forensic chemistry, biotechnology, toxicology, DNA fingerprinting, ballistic science, cyber security, and digital forensics. Shah also claimed that an NFSU degree would become a job guarantee for youth under the Modi government.
Chhattisgarh currently operates four regional forensic laboratories in Ambikapur, Bilaspur, Durg, and Jagdalpur.
On Monday, the Union Home Minister is scheduled to visit Abujhmad in Narayanpur district, where he will interact with villagers and meet security personnel stationed at the Irkbhatti camp.