‘Modi govt will eradicate Naxalism’, says Amit Shah, lauds security forces for Chhattisgarh anti-Naxal ops killing 16 Naxalites

Union Home Minister Amit Shah lauded security forces for eliminating 16 Naxalites in an anti-Naxal operation in Chhattisgarh on Saturday. The home minister said the Centre is resolved to end Naxalism and urged the left extremists to give up arms.

Hailing security forces in a social media post on X, Amit Shah said, “Another strike on Naxalism! Our security agencies have neutralised 16 Naxalites and recovered a massive cache of automatic weapons in an operation in Sukma. Under the leadership of PM Shri @narendramodiJi, we are resolved to eradicate Naxalism before the 31st of March 2026.”

Saying only development can bring change, Shah added, “My appeal to those with arms is that weapons and violence cannot bring change; only peace and development can.”

In a major operation during the early hours of Saturday, security personnel from Chhattisgarh police’s District Reserve Guard and Central Reserve Police Force killed 16 Naxalites in the forest areas of Sukma district. Security forces carried out the search operation in Sukma-Dantewada border based on an intelligence tip-off and 16 Maoists were killed in the encounter.

According to police, the Naxalites belonged to the National Park Area Committee of the CPI (Maoist). Two security personnel suffered injuries in the strike and they are undergoing treatment. Bastar IG Sundarraj P said bodies of 16 Naxalites were recovered from the area and they are continuing searches at the encounter site. The senior police officer said there is a possibility of more Naxalites being killed or injured in the attack. In an anti-Naxal operation on March 20 in Bijapur, security forces killed 30 Naxalites.

The major operation comes a day ahead of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to Chhattisgarh on Sunday. The prime minister will lay foundation stone and inaugurate development projects worth over Rs 30,000 crore in Chhattisgarh’s Bilaspur.