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 [1].
• 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 [2][3].
• 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 [1][4].
• Followed the biggest-ever anti-naxal operation at Karreguttalu Hill (KGH), Chhattisgarh-Telangana border, where 31 Naxalites were neutralised [5].

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 [6].
• Aug 24, 2024: Pledge to make India Naxal-free by March 31, 2026 [4].
• March 31, 2026: Bastar declared Naxal-free; Jagdalpur outreach event [1].

4. Core Static Facts

• Nodal ministry: Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA), LWE Division [6].
• 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 [2].
• Affected districts: 126 (2014) → 38 (2024) → 11 (2025); most-affected: 36 → 3 [2][3].
• 2025 kinetic data: 317 naxals neutralised, 800+ arrested, ~2,000 surrendered [2].
• Welfare: PM-approved 15,000 houses in LWE areas; 100% saturation of central schemes targeted in affected villages [7].
• 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 [6].

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 [6].
• Compression of geography (126→11 districts) reflects intelligence-led ops + saturation of welfare delivery [2].

Strategic / Security

• DRG model — locally recruited tribal youth — credited as decisive force-multiplier; CoBRA's jungle warfare specialisation operationalised the SAMADHAN doctrine [1][2].
• KGH operation (Chhattisgarh-Telangana) demonstrated cross-state, inter-force synergy [5].

Social / Tribal

• Bastar's Scheduled Areas (Fifth Schedule) populations bore the brunt; surrender-cum-rehabilitation policies and Bastar Olympics aimed at reintegration [2].
• Shah's framing: development was obstructed by armed Naxals, not absent — pivoting the narrative from "lack of development" to "denial of development" [1].

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 [4].
• 2024-25: Most-affected district count cut to 3; total LWE districts to 11 [3].
• 2025: Karreguttalu Hill operation — 31 Maoists neutralised [5].
• Dec 2024: Bastar Olympics closing ceremony addressed by HM in Jagdalpur [2].
• 2025: "Bharat Manthan-2025: Naxal Mukt Bharat" valedictory by HM in New Delhi [2].
• March 31, 2026: Jagdalpur outreach; declaration of Naxal-free India [1].

7. Prelims Hooks

• Pledge to make India Naxal-free taken on August 24, 2024; deadline March 31, 2026 [4].
• CoBRA = Commando Battalion for Resolute Action, a specialised unit of CRPF (not a separate force) — raised 2008 [2].
• DRG (District Reserve Guard) is a State Police (Chhattisgarh) unit, not a CAPF [2].
• LWE Division sits in the Ministry of Home Affairs [6].
• Anti-LWE doctrine: SAMADHAN (2017) [6].
• Worst-LWE districts cut from 36 (2014) → 3 (2025) [3].
• Total LWE districts cut from 126 → 11 [2].
• Karreguttalu Hill lies on the Chhattisgarh–Telangana border [5].
• CPI (Maoist) banned under UAPA, 1967 schedule of terrorist organisations.
• Bastar Dussehra — 75-day tribal festival in Jagdalpur (cultural soft-power lever) [2].
• 15,000 houses sanctioned by PM for LWE areas [7].
• 2025 surrender count: ~2,000 Maoists [2].

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 [1].
• 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).