NEW DELHI: As counter-Naxal forces brace to meet the March 2026 deadline set by home minister Amit Shah for ending Left-wing extremist (LWE) violence, the CRPF has augmented its strength in the Maoist bastions of south Bastar (Chhattisgarh) by deploying an additional 4,000 personnel.
The force’s four battalions, comprising 4,000 troops, were recently ordered to leave their stations in Jharkhand and Bihar – where LWE violence has been largely tackled with sustained, intelligence-based counter-operations over the past few years – and join the large number of battalions already fighting Maoists in south Bastar.
While three battalions have been brought in from Jharkhand, one battalion is reaching from Bihar.
The CRPF has set up over 100 forward operating bases (FOBs) in what once were Maoist strongholds inaccessible to governance and local administration. A CRPF source told TOI 10 FOBs have been established so far this year in south Bastar.
Shah had set March ’26 date to ‘end Naxalism’
Once FOBs are set up, administration moves in to reach benefits of government schemes to villages in the vicinity.
The strategy has paid off by exposing local people to development and social sector benefits, while weaning them off the influence of Left-wing extremists. Shah had, during a recent visit to Raipur, declared March 2026 as the outer limit for ending Naxalism in the country.
For this, he had emphasised on the need for a “strong and ruthless” plan of action.
As per a reply given by the ministry of home affairs to a question in the Lok Sabha in Aug this year, incidents of LWE violence in the country have dipped 73% from the high level witnessed in 2010. The resultant fatalities among civilians and security forces too reduced by 86% in 2023 as compared to 2010.
The force’s four battalions, comprising 4,000 troops, were recently ordered to leave their stations in Jharkhand and Bihar – where LWE violence has been largely tackled with sustained, intelligence-based counter-operations over the past few years – and join the large number of battalions already fighting Maoists in south Bastar.
While three battalions have been brought in from Jharkhand, one battalion is reaching from Bihar.
The CRPF has set up over 100 forward operating bases (FOBs) in what once were Maoist strongholds inaccessible to governance and local administration. A CRPF source told TOI 10 FOBs have been established so far this year in south Bastar.
Shah had set March ’26 date to ‘end Naxalism’
Once FOBs are set up, administration moves in to reach benefits of government schemes to villages in the vicinity.
The strategy has paid off by exposing local people to development and social sector benefits, while weaning them off the influence of Left-wing extremists. Shah had, during a recent visit to Raipur, declared March 2026 as the outer limit for ending Naxalism in the country.
For this, he had emphasised on the need for a “strong and ruthless” plan of action.
As per a reply given by the ministry of home affairs to a question in the Lok Sabha in Aug this year, incidents of LWE violence in the country have dipped 73% from the high level witnessed in 2010. The resultant fatalities among civilians and security forces too reduced by 86% in 2023 as compared to 2010.