Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Vishnu Deo Sai on Monday, June 8, 2026 congratulated two state police inspectors — Laxman Kevat and Rameshwar Prasad Deshmukh — after they were conferred the Shaurya Chakra, India's third-highest peacetime gallantry award, by President Draupadi Murmu for exceptional bravery during anti-Naxal operations in Chhattisgarh.

Context

Posting in Hindi on X, CM Sai described the honour as 'pūre pradeś ke lie garv aur gaurav kā kṣaṇ' ('a moment of pride and glory for the entire state'). He praised the two inspectors for displaying 'indomitable courage, strategic skill and sense of duty in adverse conditions during the anti-Naxal campaign,' adding that the recognition also salutes the broader morale of Chhattisgarh Police and allied security forces. The post was addressed directly to the awardees and tagged the official handle of Rashtrapati Bhavan.

The Shaurya Chakra is awarded to military personnel and civilians for acts of gallantry in the face of the enemy or for conspicuous service. Its conferment on state police officers underlines the frontline role that Chhattisgarh's constabulary plays in counter-insurgency operations that are formally classified under Left-Wing Extremism (LWE) management.

Policy Backdrop

Chhattisgarh is the central theatre of India's decades-long counter-LWE campaign. The Union Ministry of Home Affairs formalised the national response through the SAMADHAN doctrine in 2017, a multi-pronged framework combining security operations, development outreach and governance improvements in Maoist-affected districts. Joint operations by state police, the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) and specialised units such as the District Reserve Guard have progressively pushed Naxal groups out of traditional strongholds in the Bastar and Dandakaranya belts.

CM Sai's government has repeatedly articulated a political goal of making Chhattisgarh Naxal-free. In his post he stated that the courage shown by the two inspectors has 'given fresh energy to the resolve of a Naxal-free Chhattisgarh,' framing the gallantry award within that declared policy objective.

Stakeholders and Impact

For the Chhattisgarh Police — a force that has sustained significant casualties over two decades of jungle operations — a presidential gallantry award carries substantial symbolic weight. Such recognition is routinely cited by state leadership to sustain morale among field personnel who operate in remote, high-risk terrain with limited infrastructure support.

Residents of Naxal-affected districts stand to benefit most from sustained security gains. Successive administrations have linked improved law-and-order in these areas to accelerated delivery of welfare schemes, road connectivity and access to markets. The CM's public acknowledgement of the two officers reinforces the state's messaging that security personnel will be recognised for their service.

What's Next

Attention will now turn to whether the state government formalises additional felicitations for Inspectors Kevat and Deshmukh at the state level, and whether further Shaurya Chakra or Kirti Chakra announcements follow for Chhattisgarh's security forces in this awards cycle. More broadly, the pace of the state's declared Naxal-elimination timeline — and the operational benchmarks the government sets to measure progress — will remain a key indicator of how security policy in central India evolves through 2026 and beyond.