J&K witnessing new era of peace: Amit Shah

Guwahati, Feb 21: Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Saturday said Jammu and Kashmir was witnessing a new era of peace and promised that Naxalism would be eliminated from the country by the March 31 deadline set by the government.

Addressing the 87th CRPF Day Parade here, the first ever in the northeast, Home Minister Shah said the force played an important role in Jammu and Kashmir, where the number of stone-pelting incidents has dropped to zero, besides being deployed to handle ethnic violence in Manipur and breaking the back of Maoists in only three years.

Naxalism had spread across 12 states and countless districts of the country, and when the Centre resolved to uproot the menace, the CRPF and CoBRA force personnel played the most crucial role in the effort, he said.

The Home Minister said that such a huge, complex and difficult task was completed in just three years.

"Because of the CRPF personnel, we can confidently say that by March 31, 2026, the country will be completely free from Naxalism," he said.

Praising the force for Operation Black Forest in the Karreguta Hills on the Chhattisgarh-Telangana border, in which 31 Naxals were killed in April-May 2025, Shah said CRPF personnel carried out the operation over 21 days in extremely-challenging geographical conditions, enduring a temperature of 45 degrees Celsius under the scorching sun, and eliminated the Naxalites' stronghold.

He said displaying exceptional courage, the CRPF personnel did not retreat even an inch while operating for those 21 days on rocky hills heated up by extremely-high temperatures, ultimately dismantling the strategic base of Naxalites.

The Home Minister said the CRPF and the CoBRA force had made a very significant contribution in freeing the country from "red terror".

He said that 14 CRPF personnel were awarded the Police Medal for Gallantry on Saturday, five received the President's Police Medal for Distinguished Service and five battalions of the force were honoured with medals for outstanding performances.

Shah said in the 86-year history of the CRPF, this was the first time that the force's Raising-Day celebrations were held in the northeast, in Assam, which is a matter of pride for everyone and the entire region.

"In 2019, it was decided that the annual parade of the Central Armed Police Forces (CAPFs) would be held in different parts of the country. And today, the CRPF parade is being held in one of the most important parts of the country - the northeast," he said.

Underlining that India's internal security cannot even be imagined without the CRPF, the Home Minister said since its inception, the force has stood as a strong internal-security pillar due to its dedication to duty and has been delivering results as well.

He said 2270 CRPF personnel had been killed in the line of duty to keep India safe and the entire country thanks and pays tributes to them.

Shah said it was precisely because of this dedication to duty and the sacrifices made that the CRPF personnel had protected the country on numerous occasions.

"Eleven-twelve years ago, the country had three major hotspots - Jammu and Kashmir, Left-Wing Extremism-affected areas, and the northeast - which had become sores for internal security. Today, success has been achieved in establishing peace at all three places," he said.

The Home Minister said bomb blasts, bullets, bandhs, blockades, and destruction were once prominent at these three hotspots but now, all three regions had become engines of growth, driving the development of the entire country forward.

He said that without the sacrifices made by the CRPF personnel, it would have been impossible to bring these three hotspots onto the path of development.

Shah said that the CRPF's journey began in 1939 with just two battalions and today, with 248 battalions and a strength of 3.25 lakh personnel, it had become the world's largest CAPF.

He said even when 78 police personnel in Kolkata were killed in an attack by Left-wing extremists, the CRPF continued to hold the front with courage.

The Home Minister said that the force also foiled a terrorist attack on Parliament and thwarted an attack on the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi in 2005.

After the abrogation of the provisions of Article 370 of the Constitution, not a single bullet had to be fired in Jammu and Kashmir and the CRPF played a very significant role in ensuring this, he said.

Shah said that the number of stone-pelting incidents had come down to zero in Jammu and Kashmir, industries were coming in and development was taking place, thanks to major contributions from the CRPF, BSF, and especially the Jammu and Kashmir Police.

He said that the CRPF played a big role in establishing peace in the north-eastern states.

The Home Minister said whether it was the Amarnath Yatra or the Maha Kumbh, the force had played a major role in ensuring the safety and success of the country's cultural events as well.

He said that 700 CRPF personnel were killed in the northeast, 780 in Naxal areas, and 540 in Jammu and Kashmir.

"Without these sacrifices, it would have been impossible to take these three hotspots on the path of development today. If I talk about Assam, 79 soldiers have done their best to establish peace in Assam," Shah said.

Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, CRPF Director General G P Singh and many other dignitaries were present on the occasion.