GUWAHATI, Feb 21: Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Saturday said Naxalism would be eliminated from the country by the March 31 deadline set by the government.
Addressing the 87th CRPF Day Parade here, the first ever in the northeast, Shah said the force played an important role in Jammu and Kashmir, where the number of stone-pelting incidents has dropped to zero, besides being deployed to handle ethnic violence in Manipur and breaking the back of Maoists in only three years.
“I can rely on the CRPF and say with confidence that we will eliminate the Naxal problem from the country by March 31, 2026,” he said.
The home minister praised the force for the 21-day Operation Black forest in the Karreguta Hills on the Chhattisgarh-Telangana border, in which 31 Naxals were killed in April-May 2025.
Operating under a temperature of 46 degrees Celsius, when 15 litres of water were lost daily in sweat, Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) personnel braved scorching stones to free the mountain from the grip of Naxals, demolishing their stronghold.
Shah said 10-11 years ago, there were three big hotspots in the country — terrorism in Jammu and Kashmir, Naxalism and insurgency in the northeast — “festering wounds” that are now hubs of peace and progress.
“These three areas, once known for scenes of bombings, bullets, blockades and destruction, are part of the country’s development today. By becoming a growth engine, they are working to drive the development of the entire country,” he said.
The home minister said such peace would not have been possible without the contributions of the CRPF.
He noted that 700 CRPF personnel were killed in the northeast, 780 in Naxal areas and 540 in Jammu and Kashmir.
“Without these sacrifices, it would have been impossible to take these three hotspots on the path of development today. If I talk about Assam, 79 jawans have done their best to establish peace in Assam,” he said.
Shah pointed out that for the first time in the CRPF’s 86-year history, its foundation-day parade was being held in the northeast, in “our Assam”.
“This is a matter of pride for all of us, for the entire northeast,” he said.
“In 86 years, the CRPF has not only performed excellently but has also delivered solid results by becoming a strong pillar of the country’s security. In the process, 2,270 jawans have made the supreme sacrifice. I thank all of them and pay my tributes to them,” Shah said.
He said after the abrogation of the provisions of Article 370 of the Constitution, not a single bullet was needed to be fired in Jammu and Kashmir, with the CRPF playing an important role in ensuring that.
The home minister also conferred Gallantry medals on 15 CRPF personnel on the occasion, while six were honoured with the President’s Police Medal for Distinguished Service and the best-performing battalions were handed trophies.
Earlier, CRPF Director General (DG) G P Singh said Operation Black Forest “broke the back” of Naxals.
He asserted that Naxalism would be eliminated from the country by the March 31 deadline given by the government.
Eight CRPF contingents, drawn from formations across the country, staged a ceremonial parade at the meticulously-groomed Sarusajai Stadium here on Saturday, a first ever in the region in the 86-year history of the 3.25 lakh-strong paramilitary force.
Resplendent in colourful headgear and marching to the cadence of reverberating drumbeats, the march past drew a sustained applause from the large crowd gathered at the venue to witness the pageantry.
The parade was led by Commandant Deepak Dhoundiyal of the 225th Battalion.
The marching units represented the Northern Sector, comprising women personnel, as well as contingents from the North Western sector, Jharkhand, Odisha, the Rapid Action Force (RAF), the CoBRA unit and the Western and North Eastern sectors.
The ceremony concluded with a series of precision displays and tactical demonstrations. Women personnel executed an intricate rifle drill, commandos simulated a high-risk hostage-rescue operation and CoBRA commandos staged a jungle-warfare exercise, depicting an anti-Naxal operation.
The CRPF’s first battalion was raised in 1939 as the Crown Representative’s Police (CRP) under the British rule.
Post Independence, in 1949, it was re-christened as the Central Reserve Police Force under the Indian Union by the first home minister, Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel. (AGENCIES)
