NEW DELHI: Union home minister Amit Shah on Thursday reiterated the government’s “zero tolerance policy” against Naxalism after security forces killed 22 Naxalites in two separate encounters in Chhattisgarh.
“Today our soldiers have achieved another big success in the direction of ‘Naxal Mukt Bharat Abhiyan’. 22 Naxalites were killed in two separate operations of our security forces in Bijapur and Kanker of Chhattisgarh,” Shah wrote in a post on X.
He added that the Modi government is taking a “ruthless approach” against Naxal insurgents who “refuse to surrender despite opportunities provided for reintegration.” He further said that India will be “Naxal-free before 31 March next year.”
The large-scale operation took place on Thursday in Chhattisgarh, targeting the banned CPI (Maoist) insurgents. Security officials confirmed that 18 Naxalites were killed in Bijapur district, while four others were neutralised in Kanker. A joint team comprising the Border Security Force (BSF) and the District Reserve Guard (DRG) of the state police carried out the operations.
The Bijapur encounter broke out early in the morning near the border of Bijapur and Dantewada districts when security forces launched an anti-Naxalite operation in the Gangaloor police station area. A senior police official confirmed that 18 bodies, along with firearms and explosives, were recovered from the site. A jawan of the DRG unit lost his life in the operation.
In Kanker, four Maoists were eliminated near Koroskodo village in the Chhotebethiya police station area. The operation, conducted along the Kanker-Narayanpur border, is still ongoing, with security personnel recovering automatic weapons from the site. Officials reported intermittent gunfire in the region as forces continued combing operations.
This development follows a series of counter-insurgency measures taken by the government in recent months. Last week, 17 Naxalites surrendered in Bijapur district, while in February, security forces arrested 18 Maoists and recovered explosives in three separate operations in the region.