Kumar Bahukhandi
IN Short
- Home Minister Amit Shah declared in the Lok Sabha that the country is free from Left-Wing Extremism, specifically claiming that Naxalism has been virtually eradicated in Bastar. He further stated that schools and ration shops have been opened in every village across Bastar.
- Amit Shah’s Strategy for a ‘Naxal-Free India: The Valor of Security Forces and the Decline of the Red Corridor
New Delhi – Chhattisgarh ( Bastar): An area that once reverberated with the slogans of ‘Lal Salaam’—a transformed landscape is now beginning to emerge. Today, the sounds of children’s laughter, school bells, and development-related activities can be heard here. This region—previously notorious for incidents involving Naxal violence, kidnappings, and landmines—is now undergoing a profound transformation.
There was a time when the Red Terror was flourishing so much that it seemed it would never end. However we have seen that Union Home Minister Amit Shah’s decision to uproot Naxalism from the country’s soil, and his determination to set a deadline of March 31, 2026, proved to be the final nail in the coffin for the elimination of Naxalism.
We witnessed how the security forces, state governments, and the intelligence community worked in coordination day and night to realise the Home Minister’s resolve, resulting in the complete elimination of Naxalism from Indian soil.
While talking to the Intelligence Department officials, we learned how, after setting the deadline, Home Minister Amit Shah held secret meetings from Delhi to Raipur and other states to coordinate the elimination of Naxalism. The results are evident to all today.
Furthermore, the IB official also revealed that after the Naxalite deadline was set, when forces were entering the Abujhmad forests, two significant operations transformed the security forces’ situation and direction in the entire region. These significant operations were in Dharmavaram and Tekalgudiyam in Chhattisgarh.
Subsequently, the morale of the security forces soared, and the Naxalites were pushed onto the back foot. This resulted in significant success for the security forces in all subsequent operations. To date, the massive campaign—involving penetrating the Naxalites’ strongholds and neutralising them right there—has proven successful, effectively bringing an end to Naxalism.
During the ‘Kurrai Gutta’ operation, we personally reached the very hills where we witnessed how the Naxalites had established this entire region as their de facto capital. It was here that the Naxalites had concealed caches containing hundreds of explosives and weapons. Locals used to claim that traversing these hills was an impossible feat; however, the security forces’ ‘Operation Black Forest’ ensured that not a single trace of the Naxalites would remain in the area—and that is precisely what transpired. In a single operation at this very location, more than 31 Naxalites were neutralised.
The Naxalites fled the scene in disarray. we traveled to this region by helicopter, as there were apprehensions that the routes were laced with Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs), posing a grave threat orchestrated by the Naxalites. We covered a portion of the journey by air and subsequently reached the Kurrai Gutta hills on motorcycles.
Indeed, we are sharing with you a firsthand account of how the security forces liberated this forest from Naxalite control last year, official said .
During the operation, which commenced on April 21, 2025, a sustained offensive lasting 21 days resulted in the neutralisation of 31 Naxalites.
According to sources, the security forces demolished 214 bunkers and destroyed approximately four technical units belonging to the Maoists. This campaign is now being hailed as one of the most significant successes achieved to date.
The Kurrai Gutta hill holds immense strategic importance. Standing at an altitude of approximately 900 meters, this rugged and inaccessible hill features hundreds of caves, which the Naxalites had utilised for a prolonged period as their camps and weapon-manufacturing units.
It is for this very reason that the site was frequently referred to as the “capital” of the Naxalites. To reach this ‘capital,’ we traveled alongside security forces—specifically the CRPF’s COBRA Commandos and the State Police’s DRG—navigating riverbeds on motorcycles to finally arrive at the Kurregutta hills.
Upon reaching the site, we were left stunned to witness how weapons caches had been concealed within the caves, and how a massive arsenal of heavy weaponry—along with manufacturing units—had been established there. This operation marked a monumental triumph for the security forces—one that effectively drove the final nail into the coffin of these Naxals.
