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Left Wing Extremism will be eliminated completely from country in 2 years: Shah
Underlining that the security vacuum areas in states affected by Naxalism have been shrinking since 2019, Shah said security forces have established 195 new camps (inside the core areas of Naxals), while 44 more new camps will be established
New Delhi: India will eliminate the Left-Wing Extremism (LWE) in the next two years, Union home minister Amit Shah avowed on Friday, while emphasizing that the areas where the influence of red ultras has ended, need to be monitored continuously to avoid revival of activities.
“We have achieved significant success against left-wing extremism in 2022 and 2023, and this year we must resolve to end it completely in the next two years. This fight has now reached a decisive stage,” Shah said while chairing the LWE review meeting.
The home minister also asked agencies to ensure that Naxals do not switch their base(s) to new territories.
National Security Advisor (NSA) Ajit Doval, Union home secretary Ajay Kumar Bhalla, chiefs of all central armed police forces (CAPFs), central intelligence and investigation agencies, and representatives and chiefs of states affected by Naxal violence, attended the review meeting in Delhi on Friday.
Underlining that the security vacuum areas in states affected by Naxalism have been shrinking since 2019, Shah said security forces have established 195 new camps (inside the core areas of Naxals), while 44 more new camps will be established.
“Deployment of CAPFs against left-wing extremism, rationalization of development and setting up camps in vacuum areas are the priorities of the (Prime Minister) Narendra Modi government,” Shah said.
Shah stressed there is “a need to maintain constant surveillance in the areas liberated from LWE so that this problem does not revive there again”.
“There is also a need to monitor that left-wing extremists from areas where this problem has been eliminated do not take shelter in other states,” Shah added.
Referring to the government’s zero-tolerance policy against LWE since 2014, Shah said this policy has resulted in a reduction in the number of violent incidents and deaths recorded in 2022, the lowest in past four decades.
“There has been more than 52% decline in LWE-related violence, 69% in deaths, 72% in deaths of security personnel and 68% in civilian deaths, between 2014 and 2023 compared to the period from 2005 to 2014,” the home minister said.
Shah said probe agencies, including the NIA and the Enforcement Directorate (ED), are also working closely with all state agencies to seize and stop the funding of LWE, while further asking affected states to make efforts by forming a joint team of civil and police administration to choke the financial support.
On the development projects undertaken in affected states, Shah said “Special attention is being given to areas like road construction, telecommunication, financial inclusion, skill development and education.”
“The Centre has launched more than 14,000 projects under the special central assistance (SCA) scheme to accelerate development in the districts most affected by LWE. More than 80% of these projects have been completed and Rs.3,296 crore has been released to LWE-affected states under the scheme,” Shah added.
The Union home ministry shared the LWE-related data on Friday after the meeting, according to which 14,862 incidents of violence were reported between May 2005 and April 2014, and this number has come down to 7,128 between May 2014 and April 2023.
Similarly, the number of fatal incidents has come down from 6,035 to 1,868 during this period. Currently, the number where LWE violence is being reported is just 45, as compared to 96 in 2010, according to the data.
“Instead of applying security (defensive) policy against the militants, an attacking (offensive) policy has been implemented, which has given results,” said a counter-terrorism official.
