Key Points

Addressing personnel from the Central Armed Police Forces, Chhattisgarh Police, the elite CoBRA unit, Bastar Fighters, and the District Reserve Guard (DRG), HM Shah paid tribute to their courage and sacrifice in one of India’s longest internal security battles.

The event, attended by Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Vishnu Deo Sai, Deputy Chief Minister Vijay Sharma, Union Home Secretary, and senior officials from the Intelligence Bureau and Border Security Force, marked a moment of recognition for the tireless efforts of those who have risked their lives in the dense forests and remote villages of central India.

HM Shah, who was on a two-day visit to Chhattisgarh, lauded the security forces for dismantling entrenched Maoist strongholds with such precision and bravery that, in his words, “even the world’s most seasoned forces have taken note".

He expressed confidence that the mission to eradicate LWE was nearing its final chapter, and that the nation would witness its conclusion by March 2026.

On his X handle, he wrote on Monday: “Among all my engagements, the moments I cherish the most are those spent with our security personnel. Their dedication, sacrifice, and love for the nation command the respect and admiration of every citizen. Today, in Chhattisgarh, I had the privilege of meeting the courageous men and women of the Central Security Forces, Chhattisgarh Police, Bastar Fighters, and the District Reserve Guard. When the story of India’s triumph over Naxalism is written, the commitment and bravery of these forces will be remembered as a chapter etched in golden letters.”

Reflecting on the human cost of the insurgency, HM Shah noted that nearly 40,000 lives had been lost or permanently altered over the past 35 years.

He described how LWE had deprived tribal communities of the most basic necessities -- food, electricity, education, sanitation, and healthcare -- while stalling industrial development and isolating entire regions from the national mainstream.

Yet, amid this grim legacy, the Union Home Minister offered a vision of hope. He spoke of villages once gripped by fear now receiving electricity, clean water, schools, and health services. The Union home minister described the symbolic transformation of a child holding a pencil instead of a gun as the true measure of progress.

“When that moment arrives,” he said, “it will not just be a victory over violence, but a rebirth of opportunity.”

In a poignant gesture, HM Shah also released the book ‘Lior Oyna’, chronicling the atrocities committed by the Maoists against tribal population and the efforts to reclaim Bastar from the grip of violence.

The book, he said, would serve as a mirror to those who romanticise extremism under the guise of human rights, and as a testament to the resilience of innocent lives caught in the crossfire.

- IANS