India

PM Modi Celebrates Diwali in Bastar, Declares Naxalism Vanquished Nationwide

By Nidhi Giri

Prime Minister Narendra Modi celebrated Diwali with security personnel in Chhattisgarh’s Bastar on Sunday, stating that this was the first Diwali in which every district of India was free from Naxalism. Addressing the troops, Modi said that crores of Indians had overcome the fear of the insurgency and that Bastar, once heavily affected by Naxalism, was now witnessing a new era of development. He credited the security forces’ courage and sacrifices for ending the menace in the region and for bringing a wave of development.

Modi highlighted that previous governments had restricted the operational freedom of security forces, allowing Naxalite attacks to occur without a decisive response. He said his government had empowered the forces to make necessary decisions on the ground and had worked to dismantle Maoist networks and cut off support for left‑wing extremism.

The Prime Minister’s annual Diwali visits to military locations began in 2014 at the Siachen Base Camp and have since taken him to various strategic posts across the country, including the Punjab sector near Amritsar, the Sumdoh sector near the China border, the Gurez sector in Jammu and Kashmir, Harsil in Uttarakhand, Rajouri on the Line of Control, Longewala in Rajasthan, Nowshera in Jammu and Kashmir, Kargil, Lepcha in Himachal Pradesh, Sir Creek in Gujarat’s Kutch, and aboard the aircraft carrier INS Vikrant off the Goa‑Karwar coast. These visits aim to boost morale among personnel who remain on duty while the rest of the country celebrates with family.