‘India will be free of Naxal menace by 2026’: Amit Shah

RAIPUR: Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Saturday asserted that the outlawed CPI (Maoist) will be eliminated from the country by March 2026 with the strategy aimed at a final assault against the rebels.

He announced the deadline after chairing the review meeting of the inter-state coordination committee in Raipur focussing on strategy and assessment of operations against the left-wing extremists.

“The fight against the Maoists has reached its final stage and the country will be free from the Maoist problem by March 2026. The top 14 Maoist leaders were neutralised. From 2014 to 24 there were a minimum number of cases related to Maoists registered,” he said.

Chief secretaries and director generals of police (DG) from seven Maoist-hit states besides top officials from the Centre, chiefs of central paramilitary forces attended the meeting.

Shah said that the strategy to counter the Maoists had twin objectives. “First the efforts were directed to establish rule of law in the Maoist-affected areas and second to develop the area that witnessed destructions”, he stated.