NEW DELHI: Home minister Amit Shah will visit Chhattisgarh for three days, starting Saturday, during which he will chair a security review meeting on Left-Wing Extremism (LWE) in Raipur, with likely focus on fine-tuning strategies to achieve the target of eliminating the menace by March 31, 2026.
This is not the first time that Shah will be visiting a security camp deep inside what was once a Maoist stronghold. He has toured CRPF forward operating bases on more than one occasion, to keep the morale of counter-Naxal forces high and get a first-hand feel of how they secure the area around a camp, while facilitating an administration and development push in adjoining villages.
On Sunday he will honour the Chhattisgarh police by awarding it the ‘President’s Colour’ at the Police Parade Ground in Raipur. Chhattisgarh police was named for the prestigious ‘President’s Police Colour’ award in Oct this year, in recognition of 25 years of exemplary service and unwavering dedication to the nation, particularly their brave fight against Naxalites.
Later that day, Shah will arrive in Jagdalpur and meet people affected by Naxal violence, at the Circuit House there. He will also interact with LWE victims as well as surrendered Maoists, besides meeting players participating in the Bastar Olympics and encouraging them at the closing ceremony of the games in Jagdalpur.
On Sunday, Shah will pay tribute to security personnel who made the supreme sacrifice while fighting Maoists and also meet the their families in Jagdalpur. He will then visit a camp and inspect the development work in a village, before winding up with a lunch with personnel.
The same evening, he will chair a security review meeting in Raipur, to be attended by the state administrative and police brass and officers of central paramilitary forces and intelligence agencies. The meeting will focus on uprooting LWE from the country by March 2026, with continued emphasis on ‘zero tolerance’ and ‘ultra-modern methods’.
With the area of Naxal influence having shrunk to a few pockets like Abujmaad in south Bastar, the emphasis will be on freeing remaining areas from Maoists’ hold, followed by a development and welfare push.
