52% dip in incidents of Maoist violence since 2005: Amit Shah

There has been a 52% dip in incidents of Maoist violence since 2005 and the April 26 attack in Chhattisgarh that left 10 policemen and a civilian driver dead was a reaction to the successes of security forces against Left wing insurgency, Union home minister Amit Shah has said.

In an interview with Hindustan Times, Shah cited development works in Maoist-hit areas and added the insurgents made an effort to react. “This is a fight, but I can say there is a dip of 52% in incidents of [Maoist] violence since 2005. Incidents of civilian deaths have come down by 70% and those of security forces by 71%.”

He said the April 26 attack and the use of Improvised Explosive Device (IED) made headlines but there are many cases where security forces successfully prevented attacks by detecting explosives. Shah added the government is using the best technology to detect IEDs.

“All the technology available globally is with us and being put to use, but since no technology is leak-proof, we cannot stop all incidents. But when the police diffuse IEDs, then it does not make it to the newspapers, but the blasts are headlines. Because of the efforts of the police, we have been able to diffuse many IEDs, but sometimes incidents happen,” he said.

Shah said the Maoist violence-hit districts have come down from 96 to 22. He called declining cases of Maoist attacks a big achievement of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government.

“After 2005 some of the districts were divided and if you go by that figure then the number of such districts is 35. …Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Odisha, Maharashtra, and Madhya Pradesh have been cleared. Those who used to talk of the agitation from Pashupati to Tirupati [the red corridor from Nepal to Andhra Pradesh that Maoists boasted of having their influence over] are now limited to four districts of Chhattisgarh. This is a big achievement of the Modi government.”

Shah said the government has got the support of the people by bringing development to the left-wing extremism-hit areas. “As per a well thought out policy, the government has not only launched attacks on the Maoists, and tried to dry their source of funding, but simultaneously by providing development got the support of the people.”

Shah last month visited a school and a health centre opened in Chhattiagarh’s Sukma after security forces seized control of the area from the Maoists.

In Chhattisgarh, security forces have over the past two years set up camps in at least 19 areas which were for decades under the control of the Maoists. The camps help establish normalcy and extend the benefits of government schemes to the locals.