"Hopeful of bringing end to Naxal problem within schedule decided by Centre, State govt": IG Bastar P Sundarraj

Jagdalpur (Chhattisgarh) [India], November 4 (ANI): Inspector General of Police Bastar P Sundarraj on Tuesday said that they were hopeful to fulfil their goal to make Chhattisgarh naxal-free by March 31, 2026, and in the last 20 months, more than 2200 naxals joined the mainstream.
Speaking to ANI, P Sundarraj said, "Left Wing Extremism has been a bigger security challenge not just for Bastar and Chhattisgarh but the major part of the country for the last few decades. The last few years have been very decisive for the security forces in the Bastar region. In the last two seasons, we have recovered over 450 Naxalite bodies in the Bastar region. In this period, the bodies of top naxal cadres like Basavaraju and others were recovered. In the last couple of months, more than 300 Maoist cadres, including the Central committee and Politburo members and other Divisional committee members, have decided to shun violence and join the mainstream."
He further said that on October 17, more than 210 Maoist cadres had laid down arms and joined the mainstream.
P Sundarraj further said, " We are aware of the cadres left and continue to track them. Their days are numbered. They have only one option: either surrender or face the same action as other cadres. We are hopeful to bring an end to this problem within the schedule decided by the Central and the state government."
IG Bastar said that Chhattisgarh's rehabilitation policy is very effective.
"Due to this, in the last 20 months, more than 2200 Naxals joined the mainstream. These surrendered naxals are given skills development training to join the mainstream after rehabilitation. We have complete package to train them. They are also given economic benefits and monetary assistance," he added.
He further said that as a result of the comprehensive action plan, we have recovered over 450 naxal bodies in the last couple of seasons in the Bastar region.
"More than 2,200 naxals have decided to shun violence and join the mainstream. We have given a lot of focus to development works. We have a three-pronged approach. Operational, developmental and confidence-building approach. Right now, naxals network has been demolished, source of funding is under control and their logistical supply system has been badly affected. CPM Maoist is in very bad shape, and there is a leadership crisis. We are hopeful that very soon, no Maoists will be left in the country," he added.
He said that right now, Bijapur, Sukma and Narayanpur are considered to be more critical for resolving LWE.
"In other parts of the Bastar region, the entire cadre strength has been taken care of, meaning they had joined the mainstream or legal action had been taken against them. The Naxal network in other parts of the Bastar region has been dealt with. Security Forces are on the task. We are hopeful that in Bijapur, Sukma and Narayanpur, we will be able to totally eradicate LWE in the next couple of months," he added.
Earlier, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on November 1 expressed satisfaction that Chhattisgarh is steadily freeing itself from the grip of "Maoist terrorism", asserting that the state and the nation are now close to achieving complete freedom from the menace.
Addressing a public gathering in Chhattisgarh Rajat Mahotsav, marking 25 years of formation of the state, at Nava Raipur, the Prime Minister recalled the painful decades-long struggle of the people who suffered under the shadow of Naxal violence.
He expressed his optimism about the decline of Maoism in India, stating that the day when India will be free of Maoist terror is not far. He highlighted the recent success in countering the movement and only three districts in the country remaining under the grip of Left Wing Extremism.
In October, Union Home Minister Amit Shah expressed happiness over the surrender of 21 Maoists along with their arms in Kanker district, Chhattisgarh.
In a post on X, Home Minister Shah said, "Glad to share that 21 Maoists have surrendered along with their arms in Kanker district, Chhattisgarh. Out of them, 13 were senior cadres. I commend them for joining the mainstream, abjuring violence at the call of the Modi government. I reiterate my appeal to the rest who are still wielding guns to surrender at the earliest. We are resolved to eradicate Naxalism by 31st March 2026." (ANI)