'Forces to remain in LWE-affected areas beyond March 2026'

Preventing Naxal Resurgence

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BIJAPUR/JAGDALPUR: Security forces have drawn up a new plan to "hold and dominate" LWE-affected areas till at least 2027, a year beyond the Centre's deadline of ending the menace by March next year, and engage with locals through various government schemes to prevent the resurgence of Naxals or their ideology.

Top officials of the security establishment in Chhattisgarh, where the core of anti-Naxal operations is concentrated, said that while they were "confident" of meeting the March 2026 deadline, they had been asked to initiate steps so that an "everlasting" peace could be achieved.

"The job of the security forces does not end with the March 2026 deadline. We have to ensure that all LWE (Left Wing Extremism)-affected areas are kept dominated so that the Naxals and their ideology do not make a comeback," a top security officer said.