Shah emphasised that "Those who want to surrender are welcome, and those who continue to wield the gun will meet the wrath of our forces." He appealed to those still involved in Naxalism to lay down their weapons and join the mainstream.
Highlighting the steady decline in Naxal-affected regions, Shah said that the number of the most affected districts had dropped from six to three, while the total number of affected districts had fallen to 11 from 18.
Noting that the youth of Bihar are gaining from the improved situation in the state, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday said that there was a period when a large part of Bihar was affected by Naxalites and they resorted to violence and loot.
Along with Bhupati, nearly 60 Naxalites laid down their arms, marking one of the largest surrenders in the state's history. Bhupati had placed a precondition that he would surrender only in the presence of the Chief Minister.
In a significant development, 50 cadres of the Communist Party of India (Maoist), including 39 women, have surrendered at the Kamtera camp of the BSF's 40th Battalion in Koyalibeda, Kanker district, according to security forces.
In a major milestone towards achieving the Modi government's vision of a "Naxal-free Bharat," the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) on Wednesday said that the number of districts classified as "most affected" by Left Wing Extremism (LWE) has reduced to just three from six.
Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on Wednesday said that today marks an important day for Gadchiroli district, as the process of eliminating Maoism from the region began.
Naxal Commander Mallojula Venugopal Rao, alias Sonu, a senior CPI (Maoist) leader and its Politburo member, along with 60 other Naxalites, surrendered in the presence of Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis at the Gadchiroli Police headquarters.
The National Investigation Agency (NIA) has arrested an absconding aide of armed cadres of the proscribed CPI (Maoist) organisation for his involvement in the 2021 Lanji Forest IED blast in Jharkhand, which claimed the lives of three security personnel and injured three others, the agency
Operation Sindoor, which was launched on May 7 following a terror attack in Jammu and Kashmir's Pahalgam, which claimed 26 lives. Operation Sindoor hit at the terrorist infrastructure in Pakistan and PoJK. Indian Armed Forces also effectively repelled subsequent Pakistani aggression and p