Amit Shah terms Naxals biggest violators of human rights, says they will be eliminated by 2026

NEW DELHI: Terming Naxals the biggest human rights violators, Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Monday said security forces have been carrying out "offensive operations" instead of defensive against the insurgents and have achieved big successes in recent times.

Addressing chief ministers and top officials of the Naxal-affected states, Shah also said that all Left Wing Extremism (LWE)-affected states are committed to completely eliminating Naxalism by March 2026.

Due to the improved security situation, high voter turnout -- up to 70 per cent -- was witnessed in the Maoist-hit region in the last Lok Sabha polls. There was zero polling in the region earlier, he said.

Shah said more than 13,000 people from the northeast, Kashmir and LWE-affected areas have renounced violence and joined the mainstream. He asked youths involved in the Maoist movement to give up arms and join the mainstream, saying all states have prepared beneficial rehabilitation schemes for them.

The crucial meeting, which discussed anti-Naxal operations and development initiatives carried out in the affected areas, came days after the security forces killed 31 ultras in the forests of Chhattisgarh in one of the most successful operations in recent times.

"Security forces are now carrying out offensive operations instead of defensive operations earlier," Shah said.

An "offensive strategy" has been adopted by activating the National Investigation Agency (NIA) to choke the financing of Naxalites, which has resulted in a shortage of financial resources for them, he said.

Multiple long-duration operations were conducted, ensuring that the Naxalites are surrounded, leaving them with no opportunity to escape, he added.

To completely eradicate Naxalism, Shah said, it is essential to give a final push to eliminate this menace once and for all and urged the chief ministers of all affected states to review the progress of development and anti-Naxal operations at least once a month.

Shah also requested the Directors General of Police to conduct such reviews at least once every 15 days.

Describing Naxals as the biggest hurdle to development, he said they are the biggest human rights violators who have been depriving over eight crore people, especially the tribals, of development and basic welfare opportunities.

He said that Naxalism prevents education, healthcare, connectivity, banking and postal services from reaching villages.

The home minister emphasised that in order to ensure that development reaches the last person in society, Naxalism must be completely eliminated.

The Naxal-affected states include Chhattisgarh, Odisha, Telangana, Maharashtra, Jharkhand, Bihar, Andhra Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh.

Chief ministers of Chhattisgarh, Odisha, Telangana and Maharashtra attended the meeting while other states were represented by senior ministers and officials.

Shah said with a zero-tolerance approach towards left-wing extremism and 100 per cent implementation of the government schemes, the Centre wants to fully develop all such Maoist-hit areas.

He said the government had laid down two rules of law to fight the Naxals -- first, to establish the rule of law in such violence-hit areas and the second is to quickly compensate for the loss in those areas which were deprived of development due to the long Naxalite movement.

The home minister said for the first time in 30 years, the number of casualties due to LWE was below 100 in 2022, which is a significant achievement.

He said the fight against the Naxals is in its final phase, and by March 2026, with everyone's cooperation, the country will be completely free from this decades-old menace.

Shah said 16,463 incidents of violence occurred between 2004 and 2014. The number came down to 7,700, a reduction of about 53 per cent, in the last decade.

Similarly, the deaths of civilians and security forces have declined by 70 per cent and the number of districts reporting violence came down to 16 from 96, he said.

The number of police stations reporting violence has also come down to 171 from 465. Of these, 50 police stations are new and this success is the result of joint efforts of all states and the central government, he added.

Complimenting the Chhattisgarh government for the success achieved in the fight against Naxals in recent months, Shah said the state is an inspiration for everyone. The Chhattisgarh government has launched a new campaign of development in all the districts affected by LWE.

According to the minister, 237 Naxalites have been killed, 812 arrested and 723 have surrendered in Chhattisgarh since January 2024.

Shah said since 2019, the Modi government has implemented a multi-pronged strategy, under which vacuums were identified for the deployment of security forces. As a result, more than 194 camps were established in just one year, leading to significant success.

He said filling of security vacuums through 45 police stations, strengthening state intelligence branches and the excellent performance of state special forces contributed to the success of the strategy.

He said the provision of helicopters has drastically reduced the number of casualties among the troops. Earlier, there were only two helicopters deployed for the service of the forces, but now, 12 helicopters -- six each from the BSF and the Air Force -- are operational.