Will Security Forces etch the end of LWE in golden letters?

Synopsis
Key Takeaways
- The government aims to eliminate LWE by March 31, 2026.
- Security forces play a crucial role in dismantling Maoist strongholds.
- Communities affected by LWE are receiving essential services.
- The book 'Lior Oyna' highlights the human cost of extremism.
- Hope for a better future is being restored in tribal regions.
Raipur, June 23 (NationPress) Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Monday reaffirmed the government’s unyielding commitment to eliminate Left Wing Extremism (LWE) from Indian territory by March 31, 2026, during a meeting with security forces in Nava Raipur, Chhattisgarh.
While addressing personnel from the Central Armed Police Forces, Chhattisgarh Police, the elite CoBRA unit, Bastar Fighters, and the District Reserve Guard (DRG), HM Shah honored their bravery and sacrifices amid one of India’s longest internal security conflicts.
The event, attended by Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Vishnu Deo Sai, Deputy Chief Minister Vijay Sharma, Union Home Secretary, and senior officials from the Intelligence Bureau and Border Security Force, served as a moment of recognition for the relentless efforts of those who have risked their lives in the dense forests and remote villages of central India.
HM Shah, who was on a two-day visit to Chhattisgarh, praised the security forces for dismantling established Maoist strongholds with such precision and courage that, in his words, “even the world’s most seasoned forces have taken notice”.
He expressed his confidence that the mission to eradicate LWE is approaching its final chapter, and that the nation will witness its conclusion by March 2026.
On his X handle, he mentioned: “Among all my engagements, the moments I cherish the most are those spent with our security personnel. Their dedication, sacrifice, and love for the nation command the respect and admiration of every citizen. Today, in Chhattisgarh, I had the privilege of meeting the courageous men and women of the Central Security Forces, Chhattisgarh Police, Bastar Fighters, and the District Reserve Guard. When the story of India’s triumph over Naxalism is penned, the commitment and bravery of these forces will be immortalized as a chapter etched in golden letters.”
Reflecting on the human cost of the insurgency, HM Shah noted that nearly 40,000 lives have been lost or irreversibly changed over the past 35 years.
He described how LWE has deprived tribal communities of basic necessities—food, electricity, education, sanitation, and healthcare—while halting industrial development and isolating entire regions from the national mainstream.
Yet, amid this somber legacy, the Union Home Minister offered a vision of hope. He highlighted villages once engulfed by fear now receiving electricity, clean water, schools, and health services. The Union Home Minister depicted the symbolic transformation of a child holding a pencil instead of a gun as the true measure of progress.
“When that moment arrives,” he stated, “it will not just signify a victory over violence, but a rebirth of opportunity.”
In a poignant gesture, HM Shah also released the book ‘Lior Oyna’, documenting the atrocities committed by the Maoists against the tribal population and the campaigns to reclaim Bastar from the grip of violence.
The book, he asserted, will serve as a mirror to those who romanticize extremism under the guise of human rights, and as a testament to the resilience of innocent lives caught in the conflict.