Decades of jungle warfare, ambushes, and grinding counter-insurgency operations — and Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Wednesday, October 21, 2026 marked what he described as the culmination of that long campaign, paying tribute to the soldiers who carried it through. In a post on X, Shah singled out the CoBRA commandos, the CRPF, and the Chhattisgarh Police for what he called 'undaunted courage' in ending decades-old Naxalism.

Shah wrote in Hindi: 'दशकों पुराने नक्सलवाद को समाप्त करने में कोबरा और CRPF के जवानों ने अदम्य साहस का परिचय दिया, और छत्तीसगढ़ पुलिस ने भी इस अभियान में अपना अद्भुत शौर्य दिखाया है।' — ('In eliminating decades-old Naxalism, the CoBRA and CRPF jawans have displayed indomitable courage, and the Chhattisgarh Police too has shown remarkable valour in this campaign.')

Who are CoBRA, and why do they matter in this fight?

CoBRA — the Commando Battalion for Resolute Action — is an elite wing of the Central Reserve Police Force purpose-built for counter-insurgency and jungle warfare in Naxal-affected terrain. Deployed deep into the forested districts of Bastar and surrounding areas, CoBRA units are trained in guerrilla tactics, tracking, and rapid response — skills that conventional policing cannot substitute in dense, booby-trapped jungle corridors.

The CRPF, India's largest central armed police force, has been the backbone of sustained anti-Naxal operations across the so-called 'Red Corridor' — a belt spanning Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, Odisha, and neighbouring states. Hundreds of its personnel have lost their lives over the decades in some of the most treacherous operational environments in the country.

Chhattisgarh as the primary theatre

Chhattisgarh — and its Bastar division in particular — has been the epicentre of Left-Wing Extremism in India for over four decades. The Chhattisgarh Police's district reserve guards and specialised units have fought alongside central forces through wave after wave of Maoist counterattacks, including some of the deadliest ambushes in the insurgency's history.

Indian security strategy has combined kinetic operations with development outreach and surrender-rehabilitation schemes, a dual approach that successive governments — including the current one at the Centre — have credited with shrinking the geographical footprint of Naxal influence. Operation Green Hunt, launched around 2009–2010, marked the first major coordinated multi-force offensive in this theatre and set the operational template that later campaigns built upon.

Shah's role as the architect of anti-Naxal strategy

As Union Home Minister, Shah oversees both the Ministry of Home Affairs and, by extension, the central deployment of forces like CRPF and CoBRA. He has repeatedly set public timelines for eliminating Left-Wing Extremism and has presided over high-level coordination meetings between state governments and central security agencies. His tribute today is therefore not merely ceremonial — it is a signal from the top of the security architecture that the campaign has reached a definitive phase.

The men and women of the CRPF, CoBRA, and Chhattisgarh Police who spent years in jungle postings far from their families now hear their efforts acknowledged at the highest political level. That acknowledgement, backed by the weight of the Home Ministry, carries its own operational meaning — the state is watching, and it is counting.