80 Naxalites killed, 125 arrested in 4 months, Home Ministry releases figures

150 Maoists surrendered before police

New Delhi,Raipur (Team Newsbuddy): The Union Home Ministry has released data regarding the action taken against Naxalites in Chhattisgarh. Officials informed that at least 80 Naxalites have been killed and more than 125 have been arrested in Chhattisgarh so far this year. While 150 Naxalites have surrendered. Two days ago, 29 Naxalites were killed in an encounter with security forces.

According to data from the Union Home Ministry, violence related to Left Wing Extremism in the country has declined by 52 per cent in 2014-23 as compared to 2004-14 and the number of deaths has fallen by 69 per cent from 6,035 to 1,868. Active operations have been carried out since the formation of the Vishnudev Sai government in Chhattisgarh in December 2023 and have resulted in the elimination of at least 80 Naxalites, over 125 arrested and 150 surrendered since January.

After a detailed review of the security situation in Naxal-affected states late last year, Union Home Minister Amit Shah had directed the security forces to actively conduct operations against the Maoists. A high-powered committee was constituted on Shah’s direction, whose members included the Director General of Police, Central Reserve Police Force, Border Security Force, Indo-Tibetan Border Police and Director General of Intelligence Bureau and others.

The result of active action against Naxalites is now visible on the ground, the official said. On Tuesday, security personnel gunned down 29 Naxalites, including some senior members, in the biggest encounter ever in the state in Chhattisgarh’s Kanker district. This was the highest number of people killed by Maoists in a single encounter in the history of the state’s fight against Left Wing Extremism (LWE).
Three security personnel were injured in the fierce gunfight that led to the seizure of a large quantity of weapons. Security forces started setting up camps in Maoist-dominated areas since 2014. More than 250 such camps were set up after 2019, eliminating the security vacuum.

According to Home Ministry data, incidents of Left Wing Extremism have come down from 14,862 to 7,128 in 2004-14 as compared to 2014-23. The number of deaths of security personnel due to Left Wing Extremism has come down by 72 per cent from 1,750 in 2004-14 to 485 during 2014-23, while the number of civilian deaths has come down by 68 per cent from 4,285 to 1,383.

The number of districts with incidents of violence was 96 in 2010. It has come down by 53 per cent to 45 in 2022. With this, the number of police stations reporting violence decreased from 465 in 2010 to 176 in 2022. In the last five years, more than 5,000 post offices were set up in 90 districts where there is Maoist presence or where militants were present.

Officials said 1,298 bank branches were opened and 1,348 ATMs were made operational in the 30 most affected districts. A total of 4,885 mobile towers were constructed at a cost of Rs 2,690 crore and 9,356 km of roads were built at a cost of Rs 10,718 crore in Naxal-affected areas. Officials said 121 Eklavya residential schools, 43 ITIs and 38 skill development centres were set up to engage local youth.