80 Naxals killed, 125 arrested & 150 surrendered in last 4 mnths
■ 29 terrorists gunned down two days ago
At least 80 Naxals have been killed and more than 125 arrested while 150 have surrendered in this year so far in Chhattisgarh, where 29 ultras were gunned down two days ago in a fierce encounter with security forces.
According to the Union home ministry data, the left wing extremism-related violence has declined in the country by 52 per cent and the number of deaths by 69 per cent from 6,035 to 1,868 in 2014-23 compared to 2004-14.
Since the formation of the Vishnu Deo Sai government in Chhattisgarh in December 2023, proactive operations have been carried out and, as a result, at least 80 Naxals have been eliminated and more than 125 arrested while 150 have surrendered since January, the official said.
Late last year, following a detailed review of the security situation in Naxal-affected states, Union home minister Amit Shah had directed security forces to carry out operations against Maoists pro-actively.
Mr Shah’s direction led to the formation of a highpowered committee, the members of which included director generals of police, director generals of the Central Reserve Police Force, the Border Security Forces , the IndoTibetan Border Police and the Intelligence Bureau, and other officials of the anti-Maoist grid.
The result of the proactive action against Naxals is now visible on the ground, the official said. On Tuesday, security personnel gunned down 29 Naxalites, including some senior members, in Chhattisgarh’s Kanker district in the biggest ever encounter in the state. This was the highest number of fatalities suffered by Maoists in a single encounter in the history of the state’s fight against Left Wing Extremism (LWE).