Left Wing Extremism to be eliminated from India within 3 years: Rajnath Singh

Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh, addressing the 26th foundation day celebrations of the Rapid Action Force (RAF) in Lucknow on Sunday, said the menace of Left-Wing Extremism (LWE) would be eliminated from the country within three years.

“The situation has turned. Earlier, 126 districts of the country were affected by Naxalism, but I want to congratulate CRPF and police forces of different states that because of your hard-work, dedication and courage, Naxalism is now confined to only 10-12 districts. I can say for sure that the day is not far when, in two to three years, people of India will get the news that Maoists and Naxalites have been eliminated.”

Lauding the efforts of the security efforts he said, “In 2018, from January to September, you killed 131 Naxalites and caught 1,278. Frightened, 58 had to surrender. In addition, you have recovered arms and ammunition in great amount and Rs 1.29 crore in cash.”

He cautioned the security forces, “Police force should be prompt and rapid but never reckless during riots and protests. One should know how to behave while controlling crowd. They should know when and how much force should be used.” His comments can be seen in the context of a recent incident in Lucknow where a police constable allegedly killed an unarmed IT executive on September 29.

He also asserted that Jammu and Kashmir, where CRPF was deployed as the lead counter-militancy force, had been and would be an inseparable part of India.

“In Kashmir, you have shown patience and courage… Still, when some youngsters from there are influenced by some people and do something they should not, you understand the reality that they are our own people. You should try to bring them back onto the right path.”

“Some youths there (J&K) have been misled into militancy but this force has ensured security which is commendable,” he said.