Raipur, India, June 24: Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Sunday vowed that anti-Maoist operations will continue uninterrupted during the upcoming monsoon season, ruling out any suspension in the government’s offensive against Left-Wing Extremism and reaffirming the deadline for their complete elimination by March 31, 2026.
Speaking in Nava Raipur Atal Nagar after laying the foundation stones for a new campus of the National Forensic Science University (NFSU) and a Central Forensic Science Laboratory (CFSL), Shah said, “This time, we will not let Maoists rest during the monsoon. We are moving forward toward our target of eliminating Maoist presence by March 31, 2026.”
Shah stated that over 400 Maoists have been killed in operations since January last year in Chhattisgarh alone, including top CPI (Maoist) leader Nambala Keshav Rao, alias Basavaraju, who was killed in Bastar in May.
Rejecting any prospect of dialogue, Shah urged insurgents to surrender and join the mainstream, promising full support to those who lay down arms. “There’s no need for talks. Join the path of development,” he added.
Highlighting efforts to reform India’s criminal justice system, Shah said the new legal framework — Bharatiya Nyay Sanhita, Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita, and Bharatiya Sakshya Adhiniyam — would make justice delivery faster and more evidence-based.
“Every FIR in the country will lead to justice within three years, up to the Supreme Court level,” Shah said, adding that forensic involvement will now be mandatory in all serious crimes punishable by over seven years of imprisonment.
The new NFSU campus (₹145 crore) and CFSL (₹123 crore) are expected to be completed within three years and will strengthen forensic capacity in the region. Currently, Chhattisgarh has four regional labs, and the new central lab in Nava Raipur will reduce reliance on national labs in Delhi for analysis.
Citing global projections, Shah said the forensic technology market is expected to grow from $20 billion to $55 billion by 2036, with India targeting a 9% share. “We aim to graduate 32,000 forensic experts annually and become self-reliant in this critical field,” he said.
Shah also virtually inaugurated the i-Hub High Hope initiative and a transit NFSU campus at Sejbahar, emphasising the importance of local entrepreneurship. “True development will come when the youth of Chhattisgarh become startup founders and industrialists,” he said.
The event was attended by Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Vishnu Deo Sai, Deputy Chief Ministers Arun Sao and Vijay Sharma, Union Home Secretary Govind Mohan, Intelligence Bureau Director Tapan Deka, and State Chief Secretary Amitabh Jain.
