Anti-Naxal units from nine states and central forces assembled at Ekta Nagar on 31 October for the Rashtriya Ekta Diwas parade, showcasing operations against Left-wing extremism before a National School of Drama production — titled 'Naxal-free India' — brought tribal performers from conflict-affected regions to a national platform. The event marked the 151st birth anniversary of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel.

Forces on Parade

Specialised anti-Maoist contingents from Bihar, Jharkhand, Karnataka, Kerala, Madhya Pradesh, Odisha, Maharashtra, Telangana, and West Bengal marched alongside units of the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) and Chhattisgarh Police. As each contingent passed, an announcer outlined its operational footprint, key engagements, and the names of personnel who had fallen in the line of duty.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi and senior officials paid tribute to 191 personnel who died in anti-Naxal operations. A CRPF-led dog squad — comprising sniffer dogs trained to detect explosives and identify ambush threats — along with the National Cadet Corps, also featured in the parade.

Key Operational Numbers

Bihar Police's Special Task Force, operating across 22 districts including Gaya, Jamui, and Lakhisarai, was credited with killing 167 Naxalites, arresting 7,191, and securing the surrender of 371, according to the announcer. The Sashastra Seema Bal contingent, led by Assistant Commandant Vipin Sharma, was noted for killing 16 Naxalites, making 1,382 arrests, and recovering 536 kg of explosives.

Maharashtra's C-60 commandos — whose strength reportedly grew from seven personnel to 1,100 — were credited with killing 372 Naxalites, securing 861 surrenders, and making 559 arrests. Telangana's Greyhounds, a specialised force of 1,250 commandos, also participated, with the announcer highlighting their operations in the Karegutta hills. Other units on display included Jharkhand's Jaguar, Karnataka's Anti-Naxal Force, Kerala Police's Special Operations Group, Madhya Pradesh's Hawk Force, Odisha's Special Operations Group, and West Bengal Police's Counter Insurgency Force.

'Naxal-free India' — The Cultural Production

The security display gave way to a production by the National School of Drama (NSD), conceived, written, and directed by NSD director Chittaranjan Tripathi. Titled 'Naxal-free India', the presentation traced the movement's origins at Naxalbari in West Bengal in 1967 and the decades-long effort to restore peace in affected areas.

Performers included NSD repertory artists alongside tribal artists from Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, Kerala, Jharkhand, West Bengal, Chhattisgarh, and Odisha. Several had, according to the announcer, travelled from their villages carrying their languages, songs, and folk traditions to perform on a national stage.

Significance and Context

The dual format — uniformed forces followed by cultural voices from the same affected communities — was notably distinct from previous Ekta Diwas ceremonies, which have traditionally centred on the security narrative alone. This is the first time the event has formally placed tribal cultural identity alongside the state's counter-insurgency account on a single stage. This comes amid a sustained push by the Centre to declare large swathes of the former Naxal-affected belt pacified, particularly in Chhattisgarh and parts of Telangana and Odisha.

Rashtriya Ekta Diwas — observed annually on 31 October, Patel's birth anniversary — has since its inception in 2014 served as a platform to underscore national integration. The inclusion of anti-extremism forces and affected-community artists this year ties that theme directly to the ongoing Naxal conflict, a campaign that has claimed the lives of thousands of security personnel and civilians over six decades.