Raipur/Kanker, March 31 (IANS) With just hours left for the Central government’s ambitious deadline to make India completely “Naxal-free”, two more Maoists laid down their arms in Chhattisgarh’s Kanker district on Tuesday.

The surrenders have added fresh momentum to the ongoing campaign against Left-Wing Extremism, even as security forces continue aggressive operations in the remaining pockets.

The two Naxals, identified as “Hidme” and “Shankar’’, surrendered before the police in Kanker and handed over their weapons. One of them was carrying an AK-47 assault rifle, a significant recovery that highlights the gradual weakening of Maoist firepower in the region.

Police officials said the duo decided to join the mainstream, citing disillusionment with the Maoist ideology and the improving development prospects in the area.

This development comes amid a larger wave of surrenders across Chhattisgarh.

In the past two years, thousands of Naxals have voluntarily abandoned violence and returned to normal life under the state’s rehabilitation policy. However, officials estimate that around 115 Naxals still remain active in the dense forests of Kanker district.

On Monday, Union Home Minister Amit Shah addressed the Lok Sabha during a discussion on ‘Naxal-free India’. He expressed gratitude to the House on behalf of the people living in the ‘Red Corridor’, which once spanned 12 states and covered a vast area.

HM Shah stated that Naxalism has been “almost entirely eradicated” from the Bastar region.

He highlighted the government’s focused initiatives, including opening schools and ration shops in every village of Bastar to bring development and governance to the most remote tribal areas. The Union Home Minister said he wished to thank the House on behalf of the population residing in the entire region known as the ‘Red Corridor’.

In a separate incident on Monday, security forces recovered a significant Naxal arms dump in the Mohla-Manpur-Ambagarh Chowki area of Rajnandgaon district. The cache included one AK-47 rifle, one INSAS rifle, and 46 live cartridges. The recovery is being seen as another blow to the remaining Maoist networks operating in the region.

The Central government had set March 31, 2026, as the firm deadline to eliminate Naxalism from the country. Over the last few years, a combination of sustained security operations, development works, and effective surrender-and-rehabilitation policies has drastically reduced the influence of the Maoists.

Violent incidents have come down sharply, and the once-dreaded Red Corridor has shrunk considerably. Security experts and local residents believe that while complete eradication by the deadline may be challenging in the last few pockets, the momentum is decisively in favour of the security forces.

Senior police officers in Kanker said efforts are underway to contact the remaining cadres and persuade them to surrender before the situation escalates further.

As the clock ticks down on the historic deadline, the surrenders of Hidme and Shankar are a clear indication of the changing ground reality in Chhattisgarh’s Naxal-affected districts.

–IANS

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