Raipur: Union home minister Amit Shah on Monday indicated that the Centre is coming up with a comprehensive rehabilitation plan for the surrendered Maoists and the families of victims of extremism.
“The Union ministries of home, tribal affairs, and rural development are working in unison to provide comprehensive assistance to these families, reaffirming the government’s commitment to their rehabilitation and progress,” he said while addressing the families of jawans, slain in encounters with Maoists, and kin of the victims of Naxal violence in Jagdalpur in Bastar in the state.
The Union home minister on Monday paid tributes to the jawans, martyred in encounters with Maoists, at the Shaheed Smarak in Jagdalpur.
He vowed to root out Naxalism in Chhattisgarh and declared that after March 31, 2026, not a single drop of blood will be shed in the name of Naxalism in the sacred land of Maa Danteswari (referring to Bastar).
A comprehensive three-pronged strategy is being adopted by the government to free all Naxal-affected areas in the country from the menace, the Union home minister said.
Shah said as part of this strategy, first, those who are willing to renounce violence and ready to return to the mainstream are welcomed.
Secondly, he said, efforts are being intensified to apprehend those who refuse to abandon the path of violence.
“Lastly, strict action will be taken against individuals intent on harming others, ensuring they face the full force of justice,” he added.
Lauding the Chhattisgarh government for effectively dealing with the Maoist menace, he said, “The achievements of the past year in combating Naxalism in Chhattisgarh are unprecedented. Never before has such a vast area been liberated from Naxal influence in a single year, nor have such significant numbers of Maoists been neutralised, arrested, or surrendered.”
As many as 287 Naxals were neutralised, approximately 1,000 were arrested, and 837 surrendered in Chhattisgarh in the past year.
He commended the Vishnu Deo Sai government for executing a highly effective and well-coordinated strategy in this effort.
He said that the campaign for a Naxal-free India, led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, is gaining significant support from the affected families.
Shah also visited the security camp in Gundem village, a Naxal stronghold, in Chhattisgarh’s Bijapur district.
Shah is the first Union home minister to visit a red stronghold in Bastar.
The security camp at Gundem has been opened recently.
Gundem, located in the borders of Bijapur and Sukma districts in south Bastar, falls under the liberated zone declared by the Maoists and is known as the stronghold of dreaded Maoist Hidma, commander of battalion number one of outlawed CPI (Maoist).
Hidma hailed from Puwarti village, located barely 12 km from Gundem.
He is the first local tribal who rose to the rank of member of the central committee, the policy-making body of Maoists.
The Union home minister addressed the jawans in the camp. He also met the local school students and the local villagers, who included women, youth, and elderly persons.
Shah told the villagers that developmental works in the area would be accelerated with the laying of roads and the provision of drinking water and electricity.
A security blanket had been thrown in and around Gundem with a massive deployment of security forces ahead of Mr Shah’s visit to the village.
Shah earlier on Sunday addressed the former rebels hailing from the states of Chhattisgarh, Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, Maharashtra, Odisha, and Assam in Jagdalpur, headquarters of Bastar in Chhattisgarh.
He said that over 9,000 militants in the Northeast region have laid down their arms and joined the mainstream from 2019 to 2024. He further said that many Maoists have given up arms and joined the mainstream.
