Naxalism will be wiped out from country by March 31, 2026: Amit Shah reiterates in Lucknow

Lucknow: Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Sunday reiterated that Naxalism will be eradicated from the country by March 31, 2026.

Speaking at an event to distribute job letters to newly-recruited civil police constables here, Shah said, “In 11 years of rule under Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the country has become secure. Naxalism was prevalent in 11 states of the country, but now it is limited to just three districts. Remember my statement, by March 31, 2026, the country will become free from Naxalism.”

Hitting out at the previous governments in Uttar Pradesh, Shah said till now, recruitments were made based on caste, while technology had no role to play.

Addressing the newly-recruited police personnel, Shah said, “You all have been appointed thanks to technology and transparency. Now, there are control rooms, command centres, PCR One, and more than 150 on-wheel forensic units, which are engaged in providing justice to people.

“All of you have to take this forward. I am confident that you will move forward with the mantra of security, service, and sensitivity.

The home minister claimed that during Congress rule, terrorist attacks used to take place almost daily, be it in Ahmedabad, Delhi, Mumbai, Jaipur or Coimbatore, and “let’s not talk about Kashmir”.

“During Prime Minister Modi’s tenure, Pakistan tried (to attack) three times -- at Uri, Pulwama, and Pahalgam.

"Surgical strikes followed the Uri attack. Air strikes were carried out after the Pulwama attack, while Operation Sindoor followed the Pahalgam attack in which terrorist headquarters were shattered (across the border),” Shah said.

Narendra Modi has sent out a message to the entire world that anyone attacking Indians will be punished, he said.

“Operation Sindoor has sent a stern message to the world," Shah said.

The bravehearts of the Indian armed forces razed the terror bases in Pakistan, ushering in a new era of “Shashakt Bharat”, the home minister said.

“We now have three laws in place – Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), Bharatiya Nagrik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS), and Bhartiya Sakshya Adhiniyam (BSA)... Let me tell you, citizens will soon get justice for every FIR they lodge,” Shah said.

Elaborating on the mechanism for expedited justice, Shah said, “We must ensure justice based on all the facilities and technology of CCTNS (Crime and Criminal Tracking Network and Systems), ICJS (Inter-operable Criminal Justice System), and forensic science."

Addressing the gathering, Shah also said that while modernisation of India's police forces began nationwide under Prime Minister Modi's leadership, Uttar Pradesh's efforts in this regard commenced only in 2017 after the formation of a BJP government under Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath.

"The Centre's reforms were not visible in Uttar Pradesh from 2014 to 2017," Shah said.

Shah also said that India will be a global leader by 2047, with Uttar Pradesh playing a crucial role.

Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, and Deputy Chief Ministers Brajesh Pathak and Keshav Prasad Maurya, among other senior officials, were present at the event.

The event marked the biggest-ever direct recruitment drive for civil police constables in the history of the state police, the Uttar Pradesh government said in a statement.

Under the ‘Civil Police Direct Recruitment' drive, as many as 48,196 male and 12,048 female candidates have been selected by the Uttar Pradesh Police Recruitment and Promotion Board.