Naxalism

As union govt has said that Naxal terrorism will be eradicated by March 2026, Urban Naxals have issued an open letter urging the govt for a ceasefire

Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Saturday said that Naxalism will be completely eradicated from the country by next year.

It must be recalled that until 2015, around 106 districts were marked naxal-affected. By 2024, this number came down to 38 and now to 18. Of these, 12 were most naxal-affected, however, this number has further dropped to just 6.

Chhattisgarh is the only state in India where Maoists maintain a significant presence and the ability to launch large-scale attacks.

At least seven Naxals were killed in an encounter with District Reserve Group (DRG) personnel along the inter-district border of Narayanpur, Dantewada and Kondagaon, a senior police official said.

Dantewada was retained by the BJP's Bhima Mandavi in 2018. Mandavi and four security officers were murdered days before the 2019 Lok Sabha elections as their convoy was attacked in Dantewada district by Naxals. Notably, this time the BJP is represented by Chaitram Atani, a former member of the now-illegal Sulwa Judum movement.

Naxals dumped the dead bodies with a poster — “Punishment for working as a police informer is death”.

The Union Minister and Odisha Chief Minster participated in the inauguration and foundation stone laying ceremony of various development projects in Bhubaneswar.

As per initial reports, the attack happened when the personnel were mobilised upon receiving intel about the presence of Naxal terrorists in the area. More details are awaited.

Earlier, an encounter broke out between a joint party of Indo-Tibetan Border Police and District Reserve Guard and Naxals in the forest area of Chote Burgum in Chhattisgarh's Narayanpur district on Sunday, officials said.