Terming Naxals the biggest human rights violators, Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Monday said security forces have been carrying out “offensive operations” instead of defensive against the insurgents and have achieved big successes in recent times.
Addressing chief ministers and top officials of the Naxal-affected states, Shah also said that all Left Wing Extremism (LWE)-affected states are committed to completely eliminating Naxalism by March 2026.
Due to the improved security situation, high voter turnout — up to 70 per cent — was witnessed in the Maoist-hit region in the last Lok Sabha polls. There was zero polling in the region earlier, he said.
Shah said more than 13,000 people from the northeast, Kashmir and LWE-affected areas have renounced violence and joined the mainstream. He asked youths involved in the Maoist movement to give up arms and join the mainstream, saying all states have prepared beneficial rehabilitation schemes for them.