NEW DELHI: Union Home Minister and Cooperation Minister Amit Shah on Monday felicitated and met personnel of the CRPF, Chhattisgarh Police, District Reserve Guard (DRG) and Cobra units in New Delhi for their outstanding victory in ‘Operation Black Forest’ on Karreguttalu hill. Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Vishnu Deo Sai and Deputy Chief Minister Vijay Sharma attended the ceremony.
Praising the forces, Shah called the operation the “largest anti-Naxal operation” ever carried out in the country and referred to it as a golden chapter in the history of India’s struggle against left-wing extremism. “The gallantry and courage shown by our jawans in Operation Black Forest will be etched in history for generations to come,” he said.
Shah reaffirmed the government’s resolve to eradicate Naxalism, declaring that the Modi government will not rest until all Naxalites “either surrender, are caught, or are eliminated.” He emphasised that under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the government is determined to make India free of Naxal violence.
In spite of oppressive weather conditions comprising record temperature, high terrain and the ever-present danger of IEDs, security forces managed to bust a prominent Naxal camp on Karreguttalu hill. They eliminated caches of material and the chain of logistics of the group, inflicting an agonising blow on the rebels.
Referring to the effects of Naxal violence, Shah added that extremists had long prevented development in some of India’s poorest areas by closing schools and hospitals and blocking government welfare programmes. “Due to sustained anti-Naxal operations, a new sunrise has touched the lives of 6.5 crore people in areas from Pashupatinath to Tirupati,” he added.