New Delhi: Union Home Minister Amit Shah on September 28 said that a significant transformation has occurred during the 10-year tenure of the Modi government in containing the Maoist or the Naxal insurgency in Bharat and the government will eradicate the red terror from the county by March next year.
The Union Home Minister made these remarks while addressing the valedictory session of ‘Bharat Manthan-2025: Naxal Mukt Bharat – Ending Red Terror Under Modi’s Leadership’ in New Delhi. The Home Minister on the occasion paid his respects to all those who sacrificed their lives, lost their loved ones, and endured physical and mental hardships due to Left-wing [Naxal] violence since the 1960s.
The Union Home Minister highlighted that Naxalism and armed rebellion began in the early 1970s with Bharat witnessing a peak of violent incidents [3620] in the year 1971. He said that Naxalism thrived in West Bengal until the Left parties came to power, and as soon as they did, Naxalism disappeared from there.
He noted that subsequently, in the 1980s, the People’s War Group expanded its reach to Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Chhattisgarh, Uttar Pradesh, Jharkhand, Bihar, and Kerala.
He added that after 80s, Left-wing groups started merging with each other, and in 2004, the major CPI (Maoist) group was formed, leading to Naxal violence taking a very serious form. He recalled that the corridor from Pashupati to Tirupati was once known as the ‘Red Corridor’.
पहले पशुपति से तिरुपति तक का जब वे नारा लगाते थे, तब चिंता होती थी। लेकिन आज जब वे पशुपतिनाथ से तिरुपति का नारा लगाते हैं, तो लोग हँसते हैं कि भाई, बचे ही कहाँ हो : केन्द्रीय गृह एवं सहकारिता मंत्री श्री @AmitShah जी#NaxalFreeBharathttps://t.co/d4f2B6b5cw
— Office of Amit Shah (@AmitShahOffice) September 28, 2025
Shah said that 17 percent of the country’s territory was encompassed by the Red Corridor, affecting a population of 120 million. At that time, 10 percent of the population was living under the scourge of Naxalism.
Tackling of red terror in last one decade
The Union Home Minister stressed that the Modi’s government in 2014, began working on the three aspects of dialogue, security, and coordination and as a result armed Naxalism will be eradicated from the country by March 31, 2026.
Shah, on the occasion stated that whereas earlier work was done with a scattered approach, responses were incident-based and there was no permanent policy. He said that in a way, one could say the steering of the government’s response was in the hands of the Naxalites though after 2014 the steering of the government’s campaigns and programmes rests with the government and this is a very significant policy change.
He stated that instead of a scattered approach, the Modi government has adopted a unified and ruthless approach. He added that the policy of our government is to roll out the red carpet and welcome those who wish to surrender by laying down their arms, but if anyone takes up arms to kill innocent tribals, the government’s duty is to protect the innocent tribals and to confront the armed Naxalites.
The Home Minister said that for the first time, the Government of India adopted a clear policy without any confusion. He said that the state police and central security forces were given freedom, and a practical bridge was built between the Government of India and the state governments for coordination in intelligence, information sharing, and operations.
He added that strict control was imposed on the supply of arms and ammunition of Naxalites. After 2019, we have succeeded in blocking more than 90 per cent of their supply.
Shah stated that the National Investigation Agency [NIA] and the Enforcement Directorate [ED] have tightened the noose around those who finance the Naxalites, and that we have also fought against urban Naxal support, their legal aid networks, and the crafting of media narratives. He said we took targeted action against members of the central committee, and more than 18 central committee members have been neutralized from August 19 to this date.
The Union Home Minister underscored that the security vacuum has also been filled, and targeted operations such as Operation Octopus and Operation Double Bull were carried out.
He added that joint training of the District Reserve Guard [DRG], Special Task Force [STF], Central Reserve Police Force [CRPF] and Commando Battalion for Resolute Action [CoBRA] units has also been initiated and these units now carry out operations together and their chain of command is now clear.
Shah noted that integrated training has made a big difference to our success. He added that alongside this, forensic investigations were started, a location-tracking system was made available, mobile-phone activity was shared with state police, scientific call-log analysis software was developed, and social-media analysis was used to uncover their hidden supporters. This not only sped up the anti-Naxal campaign but also made it more successful and result-oriented.
Emphasis on capacity building, encouraging Maoists to surrender arms
The Home Minister underscored that after 2019, emphasis was also placed on capacity building of states. He informed that approximately Rs 3,331 crore was released under the Security Related Expenditure [SRE] and the SIS schemes reflecting a 55 percent increase which enabled the expansion of fortified police stations costing around over Rs 1700 crore.
He stated that over the last six years, the Modi government established 336 new CAPF camps to address the security vacuum. As a result, compared to the period of 2004–14, the period of 2014–24 saw a 73 percent reduction in security personnel deaths and a 74 percent reduction in civilian deaths. Shah said that earlier, success was elusive in Chhattisgarh due to the opposition government there. However, in 2024, after our government came to power, the highest number of Naxalites [290] were neutralized in a single year.
Highlighting the government’s approach to encourage the Maoists to surrender arms, the Home Minister said that we [Government] do not want to kill anyone.
He noted that as compared to the 290 Naxalites neutralized, 1,090 were arrested, and 881 surrendered in the year 2024. He stated that this reflects the government’s approach.
He added that every effort is made to give Naxalites the opportunity to surrender or be arrested. However, when Naxalites take up arms and set out to kill innocent Bharatiya citizens, security forces have no choice but to respond with force.
Shah added that in 2025, so far, 270 Naxalites have been neutralized, 680 have been arrested, and 1,225 have surrendered, underscoring that in both 2024 and 2025, the number of surrenders and arrests exceeds the number of those neutralized. He stressed that the high number of surrenders indicates that the time left for Naxalites is now very limited.
Mentioning Operation Black Forest, the Union Home Minister stated that the Maoists had established a large camp at Karregutaa Hills on the Telangana-Chhattisgarh border, which housed a significant stockpile of weapons, two years’ worth of rations, and factories for manufacturing weapons and IEDs, and was extremely difficult to access.
He stated that the camp was destroyed in Operation Black Forest, and 27 hardcore Naxalites were killed. The Home Minister said that through this operation, the backbone of the remaining Naxalites in Chhattisgarh was broken.
He noted that several top Maoists including a Zonal Committee member, 5 Sub-Zonal Committee members, 2 State Committee members, 31 Divisional Committee members, and 59 Area Committee members were gunned down in encounters with security forces in 2024 alone.
The Union Home Minister further highlighted that from 1960 to 2014, there were a total of 66 fortified police stations, and in the 10 years of the Modi government, 576 new fortified police stations were established.
He stated that in 2014, there were 126 Naxalite-affected districts, which have now reduced to 18. The number of most-affected districts has also decreased from 36 to 6, while the number of Maoist-affected police stations has gone down from approximately 330 to 151, of which 41 are newly established. He noted that in the last six years, 336 security camps have been set up by the government.
Naxalities targeted constitution, attacked very idea of state
The Home Minister on the occasion remarked that wherever Leftist ideology has taken root globally, it has had an inseparable link with violence, and this is the root of Naxalism.
वामपंथी उग्रवाद, इसके प्रभावित क्षेत्रों में विकास न पहुँच पाने के कारण फैला, ऐसा कहने वाले लोग देश को गुमराह कर रहे हैं।#NaxalFreeBharat pic.twitter.com/9juw6ArgvO
— Amit Shah (@AmitShah) September 28, 2025
Shah said that those who propagate the idea that the root cause of Left-Wing Extremism is lack of development are misleading the nation. He questioned that PM Modi has launched numerous schemes for 60 crore poor people, but in Naxal-affected areas, who prevents these schemes from reaching the people? He asked, if schools have not reached Sukma or Bijapur, who is responsible? Why have roads not been built in Left-Wing dominated areas? Because the Naxalites killed the contractors, he said.
Shah asked why don’t intellectuals who write lengthy articles advising the government write about the victimized tribals? Why is their empathy selective? He said that neither the supporters of the Naxalites want the development of the tribals, nor do they genuinely care for them. Instead, they are only concerned with keeping alive their ideology, which has been rejected across the world. Shah alleged that the sole reason development has not reached these areas is the Leftist ideology.
बड़े-बड़े लेख लिखकर सरकार को उपदेश देने वाले बुद्धिजीवी, पीड़ित आदिवासियों के लिए लेख क्यों नहीं लिखते? उनकी संवेदना सिलेक्टिव क्यों है?#NaxalFreeBharat pic.twitter.com/Wz7Y8SKb6w
— Amit Shah (@AmitShah) September 28, 2025
The Home Minister stated that the Naxalites first targeted the Constitution and then the judicial system. They created a constitutional vacuum, then attacked the very idea of the State, and created a vacuum of the State itself. He said that anyone who did not join them was branded as an informer of the State and sentenced to death in their so-called people’s courts. They even established a parallel government.
Shah said that for the welfare of the nation, it is necessary to rise above one’s ideology. He added that it was precisely due to this governance vacuum that development, literacy, and healthcare facilities could not reach those areas.
Union Home Minister said that during Operation Black Forest, Leftist political parties wrote letters pleading to stop the campaign, exposing their true face. He said that there will be no ceasefire with the Naxalites. If they want to surrender, there is no need for a ceasefire, they should simply lay down their arms. The police will not fire a single shot and will reintegrate them. He said that as soon as Operation Black Forest began, all the covert sympathies of the Naxalites’ supporters were exposed.
Development initiatives
The Union Home Minister said that several development initiatives have been undertaken in Maoist affected areas. He noted that between 2014 and 2024, 12,000 kilometers of roads have been constructed in Nxal–affected states, budgets have been approved for 17,500 roads, and 5,000 mobile towers have been installed at a cost of ₹6,300 crores.
He stated that 1,060 bank branches have been opened, 937 ATMs installed, 37,850 banking correspondents appointed, 5,899 post offices opened, 850 schools established, and 186 well-equipped health centers have been set up by the government.
Shah on the occasion also praised the Chhattisgarh government stating that under the NiyadNellanar scheme, the Chhattisgarh government is working on approving Ayushman Bharat cards, Aadhaar cards, voter cards, the construction of schools, ration shops, and Anganwadi centers.
The Union Home Minister emphasisied that Bharat will be free from Naxalism by March 31, 2026. He said that the fight against Naxalism will not end until Indian society understands those who provide ideological, legal, and financial support to Naxalism.
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