Describing Maoists as "inhuman and a threat to Indian democracy", Chhattisgarh Governor Shekhar Dutt said on Wednesday that the country would crush the challenges of "violent forces."
In his 20-minute speech, Dutt said that Maoists had expanded their reach in the state’s border regions and jungle pockets and waged war against the Indian state.
He said that "brave and courageous people have been fighting against these forces and we will surely overcome their challenges".
Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Raman Singh hoisted the national flag at the Lalbagh ground in Jagdalpur town, headquarters of the sprawling 40,000 sq km mineral-rich Bastar region.
He vowed to fight the Maoists, who have been running a parallel government in parts of Bastar since the late 1980s.