“No Rest for Maoists This Monsoon”: Amit Shah Vows to Intensify Crackdown

23 June, 2025:

Breaking with past patterns, Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Sunday said anti-Naxal operations will not pause for the monsoon this year. Traditionally, the rainy season has offered a breather to Maoist insurgents, but Shah made it clear that security forces will keep up the pressure. He also reaffirmed the government’s aim to completely root out Left-Wing Extremism by March 31, 2026.

Addressing a gathering after laying the foundation stones for the National Forensic Science University (NFSU) campus and a Central Forensic Science Laboratory (CFSL) in Nava Raipur Atal Nagar, Shah ruled out any talks with Maoists and urged them to surrender and join the national mainstream.

Calling it a landmark day for Chhattisgarh’s justice infrastructure, Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Sunday said that the newly launched institutions would not only benefit the state but also strengthen the judicial ecosystem across central India.

He announced that the National Forensic Sciences University (NFSU) transit campus in the state will start offering graduate and postgraduate courses in various forensic disciplines from the 2025–26 academic year. Emphasising the employability of the sector, Shah said, “An NFSU degree means a guaranteed job.”

The Centre, he said, is aiming to produce 32,000 trained forensic professionals every year through 26 campuses across the country. Of these, seven are already operational, 10 are proposed, and nine have been sanctioned.

Highlighting the growing demand for forensic expertise, Shah pointed to the booming global market for forensic technology, currently valued at $20 billion and expanding at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 13 per cent. By 2036, he said, this market is projected to reach $55 billion, with India contributing 9 per cent to that growth.

Speaking in Chhattisgarh, one of the worst-affected states, Shah highlighted the security forces’ recent gains, noting that more than 400 Maoists have been killed since January last year. This includes a major breakthrough in May, when top Maoist leader Nambala Keshav Rao, alias Basavaraju, general secretary of the banned CPI (Maoist), was killed in an encounter in Bastar.

Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Sunday asserted that anti-Maoist operations will continue through the monsoon season, breaking from the past trend of a seasonal lull in security action. “This time, we will not let Maoists rest during the monsoon. We are moving forward towards our target of eliminating Maoists by March 31, 2026,” Shah said.

Extending an olive branch to those still in the fold, Shah appealed to Maoist cadres to give up arms and join the mainstream. “There’s no need for dialogue. Lay down your arms and join the path of development. Those who have surrendered will get all promised support from both the Centre and the state government,” he said.

Highlighting the government’s ongoing push for criminal justice reform, Union Home Minister Amit Shah said the rollout of three new laws — Bharatiya Nyay Sanhita, Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita, and Bharatiya Sakshya Adhiniyam — is set to make India’s legal system faster, more scientific, and rooted in evidence-based practices. He stressed that these reforms aim to modernise the criminal justice framework and ensure more efficient delivery of justice.