Lay down arms and surrender or face all-out operation: Amit Shah warns Naxals

The Home Minister said the government was committed to end Naxal menace by March 31, 2026.

New Delhi: Vowing to end Naxal menace by March 2026, Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Friday appealed to the Left-wing extremists to give up violence, lay down arms and surrender while warning that they will face an all-out operation if they refuse to do so.

He also found fault with those raising the issue of human rights of those who roam around with weapons and target innocent people saying they are not bothered about children who are orphaned or those who have been maimed due to the Naxal violence.

Interacting with 55 victims of Naxal violence from Chhattisgarh who visited him at his official residence here, Shah said Naxals once had planned to establish a corridor from Pashupatinath (Nepal) to Tirupati (Andhra Pradesh) but due to Narendra Modi government's policies, they have now been restricted to four districts in Bastar region.

He said the government is committed to end Naxal menace by March 31, 2026.

"I appeal to naxals to give up violence, lay down arms and surrender. Several militants in the North-East and Kashmir have done that and joined the mainstream. You are welcome to the mainstream. But if you do not listen, then an all-out operation will be carried out soon to end the menace," Shah said.

He also promised that the Ministry of Home Affairs will soon chalk out a welfare scheme for naxal violence-affected people of Chhattisgarh in close co-ordination with the state government. "We will help you in whatever way we can through our welfare measures in jobs, healthcare and other areas," he said.

Attacking human rights activists raising concerns about security forces' actions, Shah said the pain of the victims of those who took to violence in the name of ideology will enlighten many people in the power corridors of Delhi who pretend to be blind and mute to their sufferings.

"They are concerned with the human rights of people who roam around with weapons but are not bothered about children who are orphaned or those who have been maimed due to the violence," he said.

Later, Shah posted on 'X', "it has been the strategy of the naxals to garner sympathy for themselves under the guise of human rights. The wounds of these victims of violence in naxal-affected areas are a living symbol of the inhumanity and cruelty of naxalism. Some people see the human rights of those who take up arms, but do not see the human rights of the victims of their violence."