New Delhi: Union Home Minister Amit Shah, on Saturday, said that the fight against Left-wing extremism (LWE) seems to have come to its final stage of victory and that the Central Reserve Police Force has had a huge contribution in battling the menace, PTI reported.
He was speaking at the 84th Raising Day event of Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF), when he also appealed to the force to continue its valiant fight against the LWE to wipe out the menace completely.
"CRPF strongly fought against Left-wing extremism and achieved success on all fronts. The force has also displayed an example of organisational skill by establishing coordination with the local police," Shah said during the event, according to PTI.
Shah highlighted the role of CRPF in the fight against Naxalism, and said the credit to wipe out hindrances in the path of development in Maoist-hit areas goes to the CRPF personnel.
The union minister in his address said that the incidents of LWE violence declined by 76 per cent in the country while comparing it to 2010 and at the same time loss of lives of civilians and security personnel has gone down by 78 per cent.
Hailing the role of the National Investigation Agency (NIA) and the Enforcement Directorate (ED), Shah said the two agencies have been acting strongly to stop funding to LWE.
CRPF's annual celebration was being held in Bastar district of Chhattisgarh, a LWE-affected area, for the first time.
The event was held at Karanpur camp of the 201st battalion of the Commando Battalion for Resolute Action (CoBRA), an elite unit of the CRPF, which is located around 20 km away from Jagdalpur, the headquarter of Bastar district.
Shah also praised the CRPF personnel for their role in conducting smooth elections in the area infested by naxalism.
"CRPF has shown their best during past elections in the country. CRPF has fought against Naxals and has brought them down in many areas of the country", Shah was quoted as saying by ANI.
The Bastar division that is fighting Left-wing extremism for over three decades comprises of seven districts - Bastar, Kanker, Kondagaon, Sukma, Dantewada, Narayapur and Bijapur.
CRPF has been deployed to south Bastar which comprises Sukma, Dantewada and Bijapur districts, these places have witnessed major Maoist attacks and counter-offensive operations by security forces led by the CRPF.