Kumar Bahukhandi
Prime Minister Narendra Modi addresses security personnel, wearing camouflage attire and a cap bearing the CRPF insignia.(@ Narendra Modi /YT
The Prime Minister visited the CRPF camp at Karanpur to honour security personnel who served in a region long affected by Maoist violence.
Bastar: Prime Minister Narendra Modi arrived at the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) camp in Karanpur on Sunday, 8 November 2026, to celebrate Diwali with security personnel. It was the first Diwali since the Centre declared on 31 March that India was free of Naxalism. The visit brought Modi’s annual festival gathering with security forces to Bastar, where central forces and Chhattisgarh Police carried out anti-Maoist operations.
Before leaving for Chhattisgarh, Modi said on X that he was heading to Bastar to spend the festival with security personnel and pay tribute to their service. “I am going to salute our brave security personnel for their sacrifices, selfless service and unwavering devotion to the nation,” he wrote.
Why Bastar Was the Setting for This Year’s Diwali Visit
For decades, Bastar was a stronghold of the Maoist insurgency. Personnel from the Central Armed Police Forces and Chhattisgarh Police took part in operations against Maoist groups in the region. The Centre’s March declaration followed the deaths of several Maoist leaders and cadres in security operations and the surrender of hundreds of others.
Modi linked the visit to the changes he said were taking place in Bastar. He described it as an area where Naxalism “once held sway” and said development was now flourishing. His decision to spend Diwali at a CRPF camp put the focus on the personnel involved in those operations and on a region that had been at the centre of the conflict.
From Siachen to Karanpur
Modi began the tradition of spending Diwali with service personnel in 2014, when he visited soldiers at Siachen Base Camp during his first year as Prime Minister. In 2024, he celebrated with personnel from the Border Security Force, Army, Navy and Air Force in Gujarat’s Kutch creek area. Last year, he joined Indian Navy personnel aboard the aircraft carrier INS Vikrant. This year, the gathering took him to a CRPF camp in Bastar.
