Amit Shah chairs coordination meeting on Naxalism; officials of 7 states attend

Raipur, Aug 24 (PTI) An interstate coordination meeting on Naxalism chaired by Union Home Minister Amit Shah began in Chhattisgarh capital Raipur on Saturday.

The meeting, which is being attended by senior officials of seven states, will review the inter-state coordination and Left Wing Extremism situation, an official said.

Among those taking part are Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Vishnu Deo Sai and Deputy CM Vijay Sharma, Union Minister of State for Home Nityanand Rai as well as Chief Secretaries and Director Generals of Police (DGPs) of Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, Odisha, Madhya Pradesh, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana and Maharashtra, the official said.

“Senior officials of the Central government also took part. All these seven states have Naxalite presence, particularly on inter-state borders. After this, Shah will chair a meeting on security and development in Left Wing Extremism affected areas of Chhattisgarh. He will address a press conference at 6 pm,” the official said.

Anti-Naxalite operations have intensified in Chhattisgarh since the BJP came to power in last year’s assembly elections. As many as 142 Naxalites have been killed by security forces so far this year.

During the recent Lok Sabha campaign, Shah had said Naxalism would be eliminated in three years in Chhattisgarh if Prime Minister Narendra Modi is elected for a third term.