Raipur:

Hours after 10 Maoists were killed in an encounter with the District Reserve Guard (DRG) in Chhattisgarh’s Sukma, Deputy Chief Minister Arun Sao on Friday said that by the efforts of the security forces Bastar will be maoist-free very soon.

“The security forces have one more achievement in Sukma. I want to thank the personnel from the security forces. After we formed the government, security forces conducted several operations even in tough terrains. By the effort of security forces, Bastar will be Maoist-free very soon and peace will be restored there and the region will come into the developmental path,” Arun Sao told ANI.

Meanwhile, Kamlochan Kashyap, DIG South Bastar said a joint operation has been planned after getting information about the movement of a group of Maoists in the area.

“Since last week, we have been getting information that there is a movement of a group of Maoists. We planned a joint operation. Today morning, an encounter took place and we succeeded in eliminating 10 Maoists. We have also recovered AK-47s, SLR Rifles and other weapons,” Kashyap told reporters.

Earlier today, Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Vishnu Deo Sai commended security forces for their ‘indomitable courage’ and ‘dedication’ after they successfully eliminated at least 10 Maoists under an operation in Sukma district.

The Chief Minister highlighted that this achievement by the security forces is commendable, as the state government continues its strong fight against Maoistsm , adhering to a policy of zero tolerance.

He reaffirmed that ensuring development, peace, and security in the Bastar region remains the top priority of his government.

“Displaying their indomitable courage, the security forces took major action against the Maoists in Sukma district this morning and killed 10 Maoists in an encounter. This success achieved by the soldiers is commendable. Our government is fighting strongly against Maoists by working on the policy of zero tolerance. Ensuring development, peace and security in Bastar is the top priority of our government,” posted CM Deo Sai on X.

As many as 10 Maoists were killed in the encounter that broke out between the District Reserve Guard (DRG) and Maoists in Chhattisgarh’s Sukma district on Friday.

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Union Home Minister Amit Shah has set March 2026 as the target to finish Maoist activities in India and said “A strong and ruthless strategy is required for launching the last assault against such groups.”

The Home Minister is in Chhattisgarh and addressed a press briefing in Raipur. Mr Shah said he reviewed the situation of Left Wing Extremism in the state along with Chief Minister Vishnu Deo Sai and senior central and state police officers. He urged the Maoists to surrender and announced that the Centre would start a “new look” surrender policy in the next two months.

“A strong and ruthless strategy is required for launching the last assault against Maoists,” he said. The home minister said Maoist violence is a challenge to democracy and the menace has claimed about 17,000 lives in the country.

In December last year, the Home Minister asserted that we are almost on the verge of wiping out Maoist extremism from the country. At the 59th Raising Day of Border Security Force, Mr Shah said, “In the last 10 years, incidents of Maoist violence have gone down by 52 per cent, deaths in these incidents declined by 70 per cent and the number of affected districts have come down from 96 to 45.” The number of “LWE-hit police stations has come down from 495 to 176”, he added.

In the press briefing today, the Home Minister reiterated the facts and said, there was a 53 per cent drop in Naxal incidents during 2014-24 as compared to 2004-14. It is time to deal the final blow to the problem of Left Wing Extremism with a strong strategy. “We believe we will be able to free the country from Left Wing Extremism by March 2026,” Mr Shah said.

The minister added that the government has been working to fill the security vacuum in LWE-hit areas and the security personnel have undertaken operations along with development works.

Mr Shah said apart from state and Central Armed Police Forces, the National Investigation Agency, the country’s premier anti-terror probe agency and the Enforcement Directorate have been working together to wipe out Maoist extremism.

The Home Ministry’s Left Wing Extremism (LWE) Division, which was established in 2006, addresses the issue holistically. It monitors the LWE situation and countermeasures being taken by the affected states. 

The Division is responsible for capacity building of states to combat LWE through schemes of the Home Ministry like the Security Related Expenditure (SRE) scheme, Special Infrastructure Scheme, and Special Central Assistance. Deployment of Central Armed Police Forces (CAPFs) in the affected States, assisting State Governments with initiatives to combat extremism, etc.

– With Inputs from PTI