Recently, more than 50 residents of Bastar, victims of Naxalite violence, arrived in Delhi to share their pain and suffering caused by Maoist violence and demand the liberation of Bastar from Maoism. Under the banner of the Bastar Shanti Samiti, all these Bastar residents met with President Droupadi Murmu in New Delhi to appeal for a Naxal-free Bastar. The members, victims of the Left wing extremism, narrated how the insurgency has shattered their lives. Bastar Shanti Samiti Coordinator Manguram Kavade said, “We told the President about the Naxal violence that has been going on in Bastar for four decades and how the people of Bastar have been bearing the brunt of it. Thousands of people have lost their lives in Maoist attacks and hundreds have become maimed. Landmines and bomb blasts have destroyed our lives. The blasts have not only caused physical damage, but we have also been completely broken mentally.”
The President patiently heard their problems and assured them of every possible step from the Government to restore peace and development in Bastar. “The Government is fully committed to the better future of the people of Bastar and soon the people of Bastar will get relief,” President Droupadi Murmu said.
Completely Eliminating Naxalism
Despite this, Union Home Minister Amit Shah also interacted with victims at his residence in New Delhi.
While interacting with victims, Union Home Minister Amit Shah said that under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Central Government is committed to completely eliminate Naxalism by March, 2026. He said that due to the policies of Modi Government, Left wing extremism has now been restricted to few districts in Chhattisgarh. Shah also described Naxalism as a threat to both humanity and the internal security of the country.
Additionally, Naxalite victims also organised a protest at Delhi’s Jantar Mantar to inform country men of their plight. The group of Naxalite victims held a press conference at the Constitutional Club in the nation’s capital, where they shared their stories of struggle before national and international media. They also visited to Jawaharlal Nehru University and organised a discussion with ABVP in JNU to highlight menace of the red terror among students. The victims went to these universities to explain how the Maoists have turned their lives into hell. Saying “Kenja Naxali – Manwa Mata” (Suno Naxali – Humari Baat), these victims have raised their voices in Delhi to demand that Bastar be freed from Maoism-Naxalism.
Maoism became a cancer
For the past four decades, the fear of Maoism that Bastar has been enduring has now become a cancer requiring immediate treatment. This Maoism-Naxalism has not only destroyed generations living in Bastar but has also almost halted the region’s development. Due to Maoist terror, the past, present, and future of Bastar’s youth have been overshadowed by fear, and Bastar’s identity has begun to be recognised as a land of red terror and bloodshed. In the past two and a half decades, Maoists have killed more than 8,000 villagers in this land, and thousands have become disabled due to stepping on explosives planted by the Maoists. Thousands of tribal villagers in Bastar have lost some part of their bodies due to Naxal terror—some have lost their limbs; some have lost their eyesight, while others have become deaf. And this situation is not limited to the youth or men of Bastar; it includes women, the elderly, and even minors.
For all these reasons, the residents of Bastar came to Delhi seeking justice. Victims of Naxal terror from Bastar raised their voices, wanting the country to understand their pain, suffering, and agony, to find solutions, and to allow the people of Bastar to breathe the air of freedom instead of living atop a heap of explosives. Under the banner of the Bastar Shanti Samiti, these victims demand that Bastar be freed from Maoist terror now. They insist that just as all citizens in other parts of the country live freely, they too should have the opportunity to live freely in Bastar. They call for the complete eradication of the Maoist regime in Bastar and for the light of democracy to shine in every village of Bastar according to the Constitution of India. Notably, before coming to Delhi, the Naxal victims had also met with the Chief Minister of Chhattisgarh, Vishnudev Sai, and Deputy Chief Minister Vijay Sharma.
