Another big step towards 'Naxal Mukt Bharat': Amit Shah reacts to Chhattisgarh operation

Amit Shah

Reacting to two separate encounters that killed as many as 22 Naxalites in Chhattisgarh, Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Thursday said that the successful operation is another bi step towards 'Naxal Mukt Bharat Abhiyan'.  Shah also reaffirmed that by March 31, 2026,  the government will eradicate Naxalism from the country.

Earlier today, security forces and police killed as many as 22 ultras in two separate encounters in Chhattisgarh's Bijapur and Kanker districts. The operations took place in the districts of Bijapur and Kanker, resulting in the death of one Chhattisgarh District Reserve Guard (DRG) jawan.

In the first and larger encounter, eighteen Naxalites and one police jawan were killed in the dense forest area along the Bijapur-Dantewada border in Gangaloor. The encounter began early in the morning at around 7 am, and continued for several hours with heavy firing exchanged from both sides.

In a tweet, Shah said: "Today, our soldiers have achieved another big success in the direction of 'Naxal Mukt Bharat Abhiyan'. 22 Naxalites were killed in two separate operations by our security forces in Bijapur and Kanker of Chhattisgarh. The Modi government is moving forward with a ruthless approach against Naxalites and is adopting a zero-tolerance policy against those Naxalites who are not surrendering. The country will be Naxal-free before 31st March next year."

According to the police, the anti-Naxal operation was carried out by a joint team comprising personnel from the DRG, Special Task Force (STF), and Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF). The search teams are continuing their operation in the area to locate any remaining Naxal presence and recover additional weapons.

The Modi government is moving forward with a ruthless approach against Naxalites and is adopting a zero tolerance policy against those Naxalites who are not surrendering despite all the facilities being offered to them, ranging from surrender to inclusion.