Guwahati, Feb 21: Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Saturday asserted that Maoist insurgency in India will be completely eliminated by March 31, 2026.
Shah made the announcement while addressing the 87th Raising Day celebrations of the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) at the Arjun Bhogeswar Baruah Sports Complex in Sarusajai, Guwahati.
“By March 31, 2026, Maoist insurgency will be rooted out from India. We will resolve this decades-old problem, and lasting peace will be established in the affected regions,” Shah said.
Expressing confidence in the security forces, he added, “I could not have imagined that such a historic and challenging task would be nearing completion within three years. Based on the impressive work of the CRPF, I reiterate to the nation that Maoist insurgency will be completely eradicated by March 31.”
Referring to Operation Black Forest carried out in Narayanpur, Chhattisgarh, in May last year, Shah said the operation resulted in the killing of 27 top Maoist leaders, including CPI (Maoist) general secretary Nambala Keshav Rao alias Basavaraju. He added that 54 Maoists were arrested and 84 surrendered across Chhattisgarh, Telangana and Maharashtra following the operation.
“When the country is finally rid of Maoist insurgency, I will state without hesitation that the CRPF and its CoBRA (Commando Battalion for Resolute Action) units played a decisive role,” he said.
Shah noted that a decade ago, three major internal security challenges—Jammu & Kashmir, the Northeast, and Left-wing extremism—posed serious threats to the country.
“Today, we have been able to restore peace to a considerable extent in these regions,” he said.
He highlighted the sacrifices made by security forces, stating that the CRPF has lost 2,270 personnel to date—around 700 in the Northeast, 780 in Maoist-affected areas, 540 in Jammu & Kashmir, and about 250 in other parts of the country.
The Home Minister also said that the CRPF, along with the BSF and Jammu & Kashmir Police, played a crucial role in maintaining peace in J&K following the abrogation of Article 370. He credited the force for helping control ethnic violence in Manipur as well.
“Because of the supreme sacrifice of our CRPF jawans, the country’s internal security has stabilised. Their courage and commitment have been instrumental in restoring peace in the Northeast and other sensitive regions,” Shah said.
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