'Over 80 Naxalites killed, 125 arrested in 3 months': Amit Shah hails BJP govt, police in Chhattisgarh

Union Home Minister Amit Shah said on Wednesday that Naxalism will be eradicated from the country under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. He also lauded the action against Naxalists in Chhattisgarh after the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) formed the government in the state.

"Within three months after the formation of our government in the state, more than 80 Naxalites have been killed in Chhattisgarh, 125 were arrested while more than 150 have surrendered. In the very limited span of time, we will be able to root out Naxal terror from the country under the leadership of Prime Minister Modi," the Union Home Minister said.

The BJP ousted the Congress and rose to power in Chhattisgarh after winning the state assembly polls last year.

Shah said while praising the joint security forces a day after 29 Naxals were gunned down during an encounter with the Left-wing outlaws in Chhattisgarh's Kanker district. He told news agency ANI that the action against Naxals intensified after the BJP formed the government in Chhattisgarh.

He added that Chhattisgarh police has also been supporting in terms of the hard and actionable intelligence in the ongoing crackdown on Naxal terror.

"Yesterday, the security forces achieved huge success in Chhattisgarh. Ever since Modi-ji became Prime Minister, the BJP government has been waging a campaign against Naxalism and terrorism. The campaign gained further momentum after the coming of the BJP government here. We started setting up camps (of joint security forces) since 2014. After 2019, at least 250 camps have been set up. We are getting more support from the Chhattisgarh Police (in the fight against Naxalites) than before," Shah told ANI.

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Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Vishnu Deo said on Tuesday that 29 Naxals were killed while no deaths were reported on the side of the forces, in what he dubbed as one of the most successful anti-Naxal operations in the recent past.

Meanwhile, former Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel, who is also the Congress candidate for the Lok Sabha elections, raised doubts over the operation claiming that there had been several 'fake encounters' under the erstwhile BJP regime, adding that innocent villagers were tagged as Naxals and arrested.

(With inputs from ANI)