Union Home Minister and Minister of Cooperation Shri Amit Shah meets families of martyrs, CAPFs personnel and victims of naxal violence in Jagdalpur, Chhattisgarh

1. At a Glance

On a visit to Jagdalpur, Bastar (Chhattisgarh), Union Home Minister Amit Shah declared India "Naxal-free" and met families of martyrs, CAPF personnel, and civilian victims of naxal violence [S1].
Caps a decade-long counter-Left Wing Extremism (LWE) campaign that compressed the Red Corridor from 126 affected districts to ~11 and the worst-hit list from 36 to 3 [S2][S3].
High-yield UPSC theme: GS-III Internal Security — LWE, CAPFs, SAMADHAN doctrine, Centre–State coordination, development-security nexus.

2. Why in the News

March 31, 2026 — the self-imposed deadline (pledged on August 24, 2024) for a Naxal-free Bharat was declared fulfilled; Shah's Jagdalpur address marked the political closure of the LWE campaign [S1][S4].
Followed the biggest-ever anti-naxal operation at Karreguttalu Hill (KGH), Chhattisgarh-Telangana border, where 31 Naxalites were neutralised [S5].

3. Background & Evolution

1967: Naxalbari uprising (West Bengal) — origin of the movement.
2004: Merger of MCC and PWG into CPI (Maoist) — proscribed under UAPA, 1967.
2006: PM Manmohan Singh termed LWE the "single biggest internal security threat".
2015: National Policy and Action Plan to address LWE (MHA).
2017: SAMADHAN doctrine — Smart leadership, Aggressive strategy, Motivation & training, Actionable intelligence, Dashboard-based KPIs, Harnessing technology, Action plan for each theatre, No access to financing [S6].
Aug 24, 2024: Pledge to make India Naxal-free by March 31, 2026 [S4].
March 31, 2026: Bastar declared Naxal-free; Jagdalpur outreach event [S1].

4. Core Static Facts

Nodal ministry: Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA), LWE Division [S6].
Statutory base: UAPA, 1967 (banning Maoist outfits); CrPC; Arms Act.
Key forces: CRPF (lead CAPF), CoBRA (Commando Battalion for Resolute Action — CRPF's jungle warfare unit, raised 2008), DRG (District Reserve Guard — Chhattisgarh Police), STF, BSF, ITBP, SSB [S2].
Affected districts: 126 (2014) → 38 (2024) → 11 (2025); most-affected: 36 → 3 [S2][S3].
2025 kinetic data: 317 naxals neutralised, 800+ arrested, ~2,000 surrendered [S2].
Welfare: PM-approved 15,000 houses in LWE areas; 100% saturation of central schemes targeted in affected villages [S7].
Key central schemes: Security Related Expenditure (SRE), Special Infrastructure Scheme (SIS), Special Central Assistance (SCA) for most LWE-affected districts, Road Connectivity Project for LWE Areas (RCPLWEA), LWE Mobile Tower Project [S6].

5. Multi-Dimensional Analysis

Administrative / Federal - Law & order is a State subject (List II, Entry 1); LWE handled via Centre-State coordination through MHA's LWE Division, deployment of CAPFs in aid to civil power, and Unified Command structures in affected States [S6]. - Compression of geography (126→11 districts) reflects intelligence-led ops + saturation of welfare delivery [S2].

Strategic / Security - DRG model — locally recruited tribal youth — credited as decisive force-multiplier; CoBRA's jungle warfare specialisation operationalised the SAMADHAN doctrine [S1][S2]. - KGH operation (Chhattisgarh-Telangana) demonstrated cross-state, inter-force synergy [S5].

Social / Tribal - Bastar's Scheduled Areas (Fifth Schedule) populations bore the brunt; surrender-cum-rehabilitation policies and Bastar Olympics aimed at reintegration [S2]. - Shah's framing: development was obstructed by armed Naxals, not absent — pivoting the narrative from "lack of development" to "denial of development" [S1].

Ethical / Governance - Tension between kinetic operations and due process / human rights in Scheduled Areas; demands rights-based scrutiny under PESA, 1996 and Forest Rights Act, 2006.

Economic / Developmental - Road, telecom, banking penetration in former no-go zones; mineral-rich Bastar (iron ore, bauxite) unlocked for investment.

6. Recent Developments (last 12-18 months)

Aug 24, 2024: HM sets March 31, 2026 deadline for Naxal-free India [S4].
2024-25: Most-affected district count cut to 3; total LWE districts to 11 [S3].
2025: Karreguttalu Hill operation — 31 Maoists neutralised [S5].
Dec 2024: Bastar Olympics closing ceremony addressed by HM in Jagdalpur [S2].
2025: "Bharat Manthan-2025: Naxal Mukt Bharat" valedictory by HM in New Delhi [S2].
March 31, 2026: Jagdalpur outreach; declaration of Naxal-free India [S1].

7. Prelims Hooks

Pledge to make India Naxal-free taken on August 24, 2024; deadline March 31, 2026 [S4].
CoBRA = Commando Battalion for Resolute Action, a specialised unit of CRPF (not a separate force) — raised 2008 [S2].
DRG (District Reserve Guard) is a State Police (Chhattisgarh) unit, not a CAPF [S2].
LWE Division sits in the Ministry of Home Affairs [S6].
Anti-LWE doctrine: SAMADHAN (2017) [S6].
Worst-LWE districts cut from 36 (2014) → 3 (2025) [S3].
Total LWE districts cut from 126 → 11 [S2].
Karreguttalu Hill lies on the Chhattisgarh–Telangana border [S5].
CPI (Maoist) banned under UAPA, 1967 schedule of terrorist organisations.
Bastar Dussehra — 75-day tribal festival in Jagdalpur (cultural soft-power lever) [S2].
15,000 houses sanctioned by PM for LWE areas [S7].
2025 surrender count: ~2,000 Maoists [S2].

8. Mains Relevance

GS-III: Linkages between development and spread of extremism; Role of external state and non-state actors; Security challenges and their management in border areas.
GS-II: Issues relating to development and management of Social Sector/Services (welfare saturation in Scheduled Areas); Centre-State relations.
Sample stems: 1. "The decline of Left-Wing Extremism in India is as much a story of development saturation as of kinetic operations." Critically examine. 2. Discuss the institutional architecture (SAMADHAN, Unified Command, DRG model) that enabled the Centre's anti-Maoist campaign. 3. Evaluate the role of Central Armed Police Forces vis-à-vis State Police in counter-insurgency, with reference to LWE theatres.

9. Related Topics to Study Next

SAMADHAN doctrine — operating framework for anti-LWE strategy.
CAPFs structure — CRPF, BSF, ITBP, SSB, CISF, AR; their mandates.
Fifth Schedule & PESA, 1996 — governance of Scheduled Areas overlapping LWE belt.
Forest Rights Act, 2006 — land/tenure dimension of tribal alienation.
UAPA, 1967 — legal backbone for proscribing Maoist outfits.
AFSPA & Northeast insurgencies — comparative internal security trajectory.
Kashmir post Article 370 — Shah's three "internal security wins" framing [S1].
Aspirational Districts Programme — overlap with former LWE geographies.

10. Common Errors / Trap Areas

DRG ≠ CAPF: District Reserve Guard is Chhattisgarh State Police, not under MHA.
CoBRA is a CRPF unit, not an independent force or NSG sub-unit.
LWE policy is steered by MHA's LWE Division, not MoD or MoTA.
Confusing the 2024 pledge date (24 Aug 2024) with the 2026 deadline (31 Mar 2026).
Naxalbari (1967) — village in Darjeeling district, West Bengal, not Andhra/Telangana.
CPI (Maoist) formed in 2004 via MCC + PWG merger — not 1967 (that's Naxalbari).

11. Sources

[S1] Amit Shah meets families of martyrs, CAPFs personnel and victims of naxal violence in Jagdalpur — https://www.pib.gov.in/PressReleasePage.aspx?PRID=2262512 — (tier 1)
[S2] From Red Corridor to Naxal-Free Bharat: A Decade of Decisive Gains (2014–2025) — https://www.pib.gov.in/PressReleasePage.aspx?PRID=2203440 — (tier 1)
[S3] Most-affected LWE districts brought down to 3 — https://www.pib.gov.in/PressReleasePage.aspx?PRID=2179459 — (tier 1)
[S4] "Before March 31, 2026, we will eliminate Naxalism from the country" — https://www.pib.gov.in/PressReleasePage.aspx?PRID=2101142 — (tier 1)
[S5] Karreguttalu Hill operation — 31 Naxalites neutralised — https://www.pib.gov.in/PressReleasePage.aspx?PRID=2128736 — (tier 1)
[S6] Union Government's Comprehensive Strategy against Naxalism (SAMADHAN, SRE, SIS) — https://www.pib.gov.in/PressReleasePage.aspx?PRID=2182437 — (tier 1)
[S7] HM Lok Sabha reply on LWE efforts (15,000 houses, welfare saturation) — https://www.pib.gov.in/PressReleasePage.aspx?PRID=2247134 — (tier 1)