A recent encounter in Narayanpur district resulted in the elimination of two top Naxal commanders, each carrying bounties of Rs 40 lakh. This is a larger continuum in the Home Ministry’s efforts in ending the five decades long red terror that has gripped India’s hinterland.

Maoist commanders and Central Committee members Katta Ramachandra Reddy and Kadari Satyanarayana Reddy represented decades of Maoist expertise and institutional memory within the Naxalite hierarchy. Their elimination is a huge blow to the Naxal activities, which are already under unprecedented pressure.

Under Amit Shah, it has been a defining feature of this administration’s intensified anti-insurgency campaign as it steams ahead. Earlier, on September 3rd, he had declared that the Modi government “will not rest until all Naxalites either surrender, are caught or eliminated".

Shah has set a March 2026 deadline for achieving a Naxal-free India. That deadline is fast approaching.

The Narayanpur encounter, becomes part of 264 Naxalites neutralised in Chhattisgarh during 2025 alone, and add to the 296 eliminations last year.

Shah’s approach to countering Naxalism has evolved from defensive containment to offensive elimination. Over 300 Forward Operating Bases now restrict Naxal movement, while specialised units like the District Reserve Guard, Special Task Force, and CoBRA battalions have enhanced operational coordination.

The shift on the ground is evident. From 126 Naxal-affected districts in 2014 to just 18 by 2024, with only six classified as heavily affected. The Red Corridor, once spanning 182 districts in 2013, has shrunk to its current minimal footprint, representing the most significant territorial gains against the insurgency in decades.

Critically, it has been achieved whilst significantly reducing........

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