Union Home Minister Amit Shah has asserted that India is on the brink of eliminating Naxalism, setting an ambitious deadline to stamp it out entirely before the next annual gathering of the country’s top police leadership.
Speaking at the opening of the three-day Directors General and Inspectors General of Police (DGP/IGP) Conference in Raipur, Shah said years of sustained operations and security reforms had pushed left-wing extremism to the verge of collapse.
“Before the upcoming DGP/IGP Conference, the country will be completely free from the problem of Naxalism,” he told attendees.
According to Shah, the government’s counter-insurgency drive, marked by improved intelligence coordination, infrastructure development and strategic deployments has dramatically shifted the security landscape. He highlighted that in the last seven years, 586 fortified police stations have been built in Naxal-hit regions, a move he described as instrumental in reclaiming territory and boosting state presence.
As a result, the number of Naxal-affected districts has reduced from 126 in 2014 to only 11 today, he noted.
The home minister also linked the war against Naxalism to a broader internal security blueprint aimed at dismantling crime networks across the country. He called for an uncompromising approach to drug trafficking and organised crime, saying the two fuel instability and threaten national security.
“A 360-degree attack has to be launched against narcotics and organised crime,” Shah said, insisting that drug cartels and criminal syndicates must not be allowed “even an inch of space”.
The 60th edition of the closed-door conference is being held at the Indian Institute of Management (IIM) Raipur and brings together the top leadership of India’s security and intelligence community. In addition to police chiefs from across the country, the meeting is being attended by National Security Adviser Ajit Doval and heads of central police organisations, including Intelligence Bureau Director Tapan Kumar Deka.
PM Modi is expected to take part in the deliberations over the next two days, with discussions likely to focus on national security priorities, coordination between agencies and emerging threats.
Shah’s remarks signal a renewed confidence within the government that the long-running insurgency. Once considered one of the most significant internal security challenges facing India, is nearing its end. If achieved, the elimination of Naxalism before the next DGP/IGP conference would mark a milestone for the country’s law enforcement and counter-insurgency frameworks.
As senior security officials continue closed-door consultations through the weekend, the conference is expected to shape the strategic direction of India’s policing and internal security agenda for the year ahead.
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