Union Home Minister Amit Shah Set to Review Security Situation in Chhattisgarh Amid Efforts to Eliminate Naxal Violence

Union Home Minister Amit Shah is set to hold a crucial high-level security review on Left Wing Extremism in Chhattisgarh this week, in what officials describe as the final strategic assessment ahead of the Centre’s internal deadline to eliminate Naxal violence from the region. Top government sources said the home minister is also likely to visit Bastar during the trip and interact with locals while reviewing rehabilitation and development measures on the ground. According to the tentative schedule shared by sources, Shah is expected to first travel to Jammu & Kashmir, where he will review the security situation and hold a high-level meeting soon after arriving on February 5. He is scheduled to remain there till February 7, before flying to Raipur the same day. He is expected to leave Chhattisgarh on February 8 after taking stock of the security situation. Final Security Review Ahead Of Deadline Officials familiar with the planning said the Chhattisgarh meeting is being seen as the last major operational review before the government’s internal deadline related to Naxal eradication from the ground. Senior officials from intelligence agencies, heads of central armed police forces and top state police officers are likely to participate in the closed-door meeting. Sources said the home minister intends to conduct a direct ground assessment in Bastar, one of the remaining Naxal-affected regions, and meet local communities. He is also expected to review the status of rehabilitation programmes for surrendered cadres and ongoing development works in the area. Chhattisgarh currently accounts for six of the eight districts in the country that still have an official Left Wing Extremism footprint. Officials described the visit as both a security and confidence-building exercise aimed at consolidating recent gains and ensuring that development delivery keeps pace with security stabilisation. Sharp Decline In Naxal Violence The Ministry of Home Affairs has informed Parliament that Naxal violence has declined by 88 per cent since 2010 and is now confined to only eight districts nationwide. The government said the number of affected districts has fallen from 126 in 2018 to just eight by December 2025, with only three classified as “most affected". “The resolute implementation of the ‘National Policy and Action Plan 2015’ has resulted in consistent decline in violence and constriction of geographical spread. LWE which has been a serious challenge to the internal security of the nation has been significantly curbed in the recent times and has been constricted to only a few pockets. The number of LWE-affected districts reduced from 126 in 2018 to only 08 in December-2025 with only 3 districts now remaining Most LWE Affected." According to the home ministry, violence incidents have dropped from a peak of 1,936 in 2010 to 234 in 2025, while civilian and security force deaths have declined by 90 per cent during the same period. In 2025 alone, security forces neutralised 364 Naxals, arrested 1,022 and facilitated 2,337 surrenders. The Centre has simultaneously expanded surrender-cum-rehabilitation schemes that offer financial assistance, vocational training and stipends to former cadres, alongside large-scale road, telecom, education and financial inclusion projects in previously affected districts. Officials said the upcoming review will focus on ensuring that these programmes translate into permanent stability in the last remaining pockets of insurgency.