Amit Shah asks CRPF to take ‘effective action’ against urban Naxals, facilitators

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Union home minister Amit Shah, on his maiden visit to the CRPF headquarters on Friday, asked the force to carry out an effective and decisive campaign against left wing extremism (LWE) in the next six months while stressing that “action needs to be taken against urban Naxals and their facilitators”.

The NDA government led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi has repeatedly stressed that social activists who act as ‘Maoist sympathisers’ won’t be spared. In August 2018, the Pune police had arrested five persons from different cities including Varavara Rao, Sudha Bhardwaj, Gautam Navlakha, Vernon Gonsalves and Arun Ferreira in connection with a probe in the Bhima-Koregaon riots in January 2018. They were termed as ‘top urban Naxals’.

During the visit, Shah reviewed the operational preparedness of CRPF, which is the key law and order force in Jammu and Kashmir and Naxal affected districts. CRPF director general Rajeev Rai Bhatnagar apprised him about the force’s plans to tackle insurgency.

A home ministry press statement stated, “The situation in Jammu and Kashmir and CRPF’s requirements of infrastructure and equipments were discussed. The home minister directed that effective action should be taken against the terrorists and law and order be maintained.”

“He also directed that civic action programmes be carried out, besides organizing sports and tours. The CRPF should also reach out to the villagers and assist them in obtaining the benefits of many central schemes which are applicable to them,” the MHA stated.

The BJP president has also asked the CRPF to have proper provisioning for the winters in Jammu & Kashmir.

During the two hour long meeting, the situation in the Maoist affected states and measures being taken for improving the infrastructure of the camps and measures against improvised explosive devices were also discussed.

Shah directed the CRPF to carry out an effective and decisive campaign against Left Wing Extremism in the next six months. “Action needs to be taken against urban Naxals and their facilitators,” he said.