India is now free from Maoism, says Amit Shah from Bastar

Union Home Minister Amit Shah addressing a rally during ‘Ujar Bastar’ program under ‘Changing Bastar Ki Nayi Pehchan’ initiative in Jagdalpur, Bastar district, Chhattisgarh on May 18, 2026. | Photo credit: PTI

Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Monday (May 18, 2026) hailed the sacrifices of security forces in the decade-long fight against Maoism and declared that the country is “free” from Maoism.

“I am proud to say that India is now Naxal-free,” Mr. Shah said in Bastar, where he was on his first visit since March 31, the date the Center had earlier set as the deadline for eliminating left-wing extremism from the country.

He urged the people of Bastar to “take in” about 3,000 surrendered Naxals and help them become part of the mainstream. “Around 3,000 Naxals have surrendered in the state… we have made a comprehensive plan to ensure them a respectable place in society. The Narendra Modi government will leave no stone unturned in this context,” he said.

FAQ | Is India’s Maoist insurgency finally over?

Laying out a blueprint for development in the region, Mr Shah said whatever Bastar, once a Maoist citadel in the country, had lost in the past decades would be brought back in the next three to five years.

Addressing an audience comprising personnel from various forces involved in anti-Naxal operations, along with family members of security personnel and civilians who lost their lives in Naxal violence, Mr. Shah lauded the bravery of the forces for achieving the goal of a Naxal-free India.

Also read | From Shelter to Hope: Bastar and Its Surrendered Maoists

“There is hardly any force in the country whose jawans have not laid down their lives… From 1971 to 2026, the public has endured it like a nightmare. There has been a lot of bloodshed. Three generations have been wasted. I am very happy that our goal, which could not be completed in a lifetime, has been achieved by our brave jawans in three to four years,” he said.

Mr Shah said the country was largely free from the security problems of Jammu and Kashmir, the North East and Maoism, problems it faced in 2014 when the Narendra Modi-led government took power at the Centre.

Also read | Maoism in India: A Movement in Decline

Earlier, Mr. Shah inaugurated the first security camp-turned-public service center at a remote village in Bastar district and said that 70 of the total 196 security camps located in the former Maoist-affected areas of the state would be converted into such centers in the next one-and-a-half years. These centers named after freedom fighter Veer Gundadhur.

Mr. Shah said that when the government decided to end Naxalism, the aim was not only to eliminate the Maoists but also to provide the poor tribal people of the region with all the facilities available in the cities so that their children could have a bright future.

“For decades, the Naxalites have spread the misconception that they took up arms because there was no development. The truth is that this region did not develop because the Naxalites took up arms. Within a year, our government will bring all the development work done in Raipur to your villages. You have the same right to every government facility as people from big cities,” the minister added.

Published – 18 May 2026 22:58 IST