"2Cgarh hotbeds now Naxal-free Shah calls for special jails to aid extradition

Union home minister Amit Shah on Thursday said that Abujhmadh and North Bastar in Chhattisgarh — two areas that have been hotbeds of Maoist activities — have been declared free from Naxal terror, adding that at least 258 Maoists have surrendered in Chhattisgarh and Maharashtra over the last two days.

- Vikas Tiwari, Ritesh Mishra and Prawesh Lama

Those surrendered include senior and mid-level key functionaries of the proscribed Communist Party of India (Maoist), including one central committee member, who carried a reward of ₹1 crore.

"It is a matter of immense pleasure that Abujhmarh and North Bastar in Chhattisgarh that were once terror bases, have today been declared as free from Naxal terror. Now a trace of Naxalism exists only in South Bastar, which will be wiped out soon by our security forces," Shah said in a post on X.

"Since January 2024, after our government was formed in Chhattisgarh, 2,100 Naxalites have surrendered, 1,785 have been arrested, and 477 have been eliminated. These numbers mirror the fierce resolve of our government to decimate Naxalism before the 31st of March 2026," he added.