'We will uproot Naxalism from India,' says Amit Shah after 29 Maoists killed in Chhattisgarh encounter

“We will uproot Naxalism from the face of India,” said Union Home Minister Amit Shah after security forces killed 29 Maoists in a fierce gunbattle in Chhattisgarh’s Kanker.

On Tuesday, security forces shot dead at least 29 Naxalites in a forest in the district of Kanker which lies in the Bastar division. The recent development marks the first time that such a high number of Maoist casualties have been reported from a single operation in the Bastar region.

“Yesterday, security forces achieved great success in Chhattisgarh. Ever since Modi ji became the Prime Minister, the BJP government has launched a continuous campaign against Naxalism and terrorism,” Shah told ANI.

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Amit Shah on Bastar encounter

Hailing the achievements made under Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s leadership to tackle the issue of the Naxalite movement in Chhattisgarh, Shah said, “After the formation of the BJP government in Chhattisgarh, a campaign against Naxalism has gained momentum. We started setting up camps in 2014. After 2019, at least 250 camps have been set up. In a period of about 3 months, more than 80 Naxalites have been killed, more than 125 have been arrested and more than 150 Naxalites have surrendered.”

#WATCH | On the Kanker encounter, Union Home Minister Amit Shah says, "Yesterday, security forces achieved great success in Chhattisgarh. Ever since Modi ji became the Prime Minister, the BJP government has launched a continuous campaign against Naxalism and terrorism. After the… pic.twitter.com/HxNtiHmpg7

— ANI (@ANI) April 17, 2024

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“I have full confidence that it will continue in the future also and within a very short time, under the leadership of Modi ji, we will uproot Naxalism from the country,” he added.

On the day of the operation, Shah, in a post on X, congratulated the security personnel involved and wished for the recovery of those injured.

आज छत्तीसगढ़ में सुरक्षा बलों के ऑपरेशन में बड़ी संख्या में नक्सली मारे गये हैं। इस ऑपरेशन को अपनी जाँबाज़ी से सफल बनाने वाले सभी सुरक्षाकर्मियों को बधाई देता हूँ और जो वीर पुलिसकर्मी घायल हुए हैं, उनके शीघ्र स्वस्थ होने की कामना करता हूँ।

नक्सलवाद विकास, शांति और युवाओं के…

— Amit Shah (@AmitShah) April 16, 2024

What happened in Chhattisgarh?

During the operation, which comes ahead of the Lok Sabha elections 2024, security forces recovered a cache of weapons including three SLR rifles, an AK rifle, two pistols, two INSAS rifles and two 303 rifles.

#WATCH | After the encounter broke out in Chhattisgarh's Kanker, the area was searched and huge quantities of arms and ammunition were also recovered. pic.twitter.com/bAQOiDklNe

— ANI (@ANI) April 17, 2024

A Border Security Force (BSF) spokesperson said, “Based on specific intelligence, a joint operation by teams of BSF and DRG was launched on April 16… While the operation was under progress, the BSF operations party came under fire from CPI (Maoist) cadres, and BSF troops effectively retaliated against them.”

Among the injured personnel, two were from BSF and one from DRG.

“The area was searched and bodies of 29 Naxals along with a huge cache of arms and ammunition were recovered from the spot. Three jawans who were injured in the encounter are out of danger and are being airlifted,” Inspector General (IG) Sundarraj said following the operation on Tuesday.

According to a report by Indian Express, between 2019 and 2024, about 280 Naxalites have been killed in Chhattisgarh.