Bastar (Chhattisgarh) [India], March 26 (HBTV): Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Thursday commended the security forces for their achievement in neutralising 30 Naxalites in two separate operations in Chhattisgarh's Bijapur and Kanker districts. He stated that this milestone marks a major success in the 'Naxal Mukt Bharat Abhiyan', a campaign aimed at making India free of Naxalism.

In two separate encounters with Naxalites in Chhattisgarh, security forces recovered 30 bodies of Naxalites along with a large cache of firearms during search operations, according to a senior official.

Speaking to ANI after the operations, Bastar Inspector General of Police P Sundarraj said: 'Operations were conducted today in various areas of the Bastar district. In the Bijapur-Dantewada border region, we have recovered the bodies of 26 Naxalites. A large number of AK-47 rifles, as well as automatic and semi-automatic weapons, have also been seized. One personnel of the Bijapur District Reserve Guard (DRG) lost his life during the encounter.'

Referring to another encounter near the Kanker-Narayanpur border, Sundarraj said four Naxalites were killed in the gunfight, and their bodies were recovered during a search operation. 'The search operation is still underway in the area,' he added.

Union Home Minister Amit Shah, in a post on X, reiterated the government's commitment to eradicating Naxalism, stating that the country would be 'Naxal-free' before March 31, 2026.

'Today, our soldiers have achieved another big success in the direction of "Naxal Mukt Bharat Abhiyan",' Shah posted on X.

Last week, as many as 17 Naxalites surrendered in Chhattisgarh's Bijapur district, a police officer said. In February, a total of 18 Naxalites were arrested, and explosives were recovered from them in an operation carried out by security forces in three different locations in the Bijapur district.

Congress leader Charan Das Mahant expressed support for the government's action against Naxalites but questioned the urgency surrounding economic development in the Bastar region.

'We appreciate the action. It is a good thing; the action is swift. It is being said that Naxalites are being eliminated to promote economic activities in Bastar. Who is going to carry out these economic activities? Which big industrialists will come, for whom you are rolling out the red carpet?' asked Mahant, who is the Leader of the Opposition in the Chhattisgarh assembly.

Meanwhile, former Deputy Chief Minister of Chhattisgarh and senior Congress leader TS Singh Deo attributed the violence in the state to Naxal groups that have refused to renounce violence.

'Such incidents continue to occur because people with Naxal ideology refuse to abandon violence and continue to take up arms,' he told ANI.

BJP leader Brijmohan Agarwal stated that under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Union Home Minister Amit Shah, and the guidance of Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Vishnu Deo Sai, the campaign to eliminate Naxalism in Chhattisgarh was progressing successfully.

'Under the leadership of PM Modi, Union Home Minister Amit Shah, and the guidance of CM Vishnu Deo Sai, the campaign underway in Chhattisgarh to end Naxalism is moving in the right direction,' he said.

He further claimed that more than 300 Naxalites had been killed in the last 13 months.

'In the last 13 months, more than 300 Naxalites have been killed. Naxalism is the biggest hindrance to the development of this state and country,' he added.

The joint efforts of the police and central forces have led to development in several former Naxal strongholds, strengthening public trust in government initiatives. (ANI)