Union Home Minister Amit Shah has declared that India has made decisive progress on three of its most persistent internal security challenges — Kashmir, the Northeast and Left-wing extremism — asserting that all three regions, once considered critical hotspots, are now peaceful and positioned for development. He was speaking at the Police Commemoration Day event in New Delhi, held to honour police personnel who died in the line of duty.
Three Hotspots, Now Calm
Addressing the gathering, Shah said the country had for decades endured three major internal security problems considered critical hotspots: Kashmir, the Northeast and the region affected by Left-wing extremism. All three, he said, are now peaceful, with an atmosphere conducive to development emerging in each. On Kashmir, Shah said terrorism had been largely curbed. On the Northeast, he credited several peace agreements and the laying down of arms by thousands of militants — peace efforts that have continued in the national capital. On Naxalism, he declared significant success in largely eliminating a problem that had spread across multiple states over five decades.
The claims carry political weight. Militant violence in Kashmir has declined significantly since the abrogation of Article 370 in 2019, while in the Northeast a series of peace deals — including agreements with Bodo and NLFT factions — has reduced armed group activity substantially, though some outfits remain outside the peace process. Government data indicates a steep fall in Naxal incidents and casualties over the past decade, with Left-wing extremist influence shrinking from over 200 districts at its peak to a far smaller footprint, according to analysts.
CAPF and CoBRA Commended
Shah specifically commended the Central Armed Police Forces (CAPF) and the CoBRA Battalion for their role in tackling Left-wing extremism, describing their contribution as pivotal. He also thanked CAPF personnel deployed at the country’s borders and across its interior, noting their round-the-clock vigil during elections, festivals, protests and security operations. The event saw tributes paid to fallen personnel by a ceremonial police squad, and the CRPF Director General briefed the Home Minister ahead of the flagging off of a motorcycle rally from the national capital.
Drug-Free India by 2029
Shah announced a concerted campaign against drugs to run through the remainder of 2026 and across 2027, 2028 and 2029, with a stated goal of making India drug-free by 31 December 2029 — a directive from the Union Home Ministry. He described the goal as even more important than tackling the three hotspots, arguing that the drug problem hollows out future generations, burdens the economy and provides financial support to organisations engaged in anti-national activities. He called upon police forces across the country to work towards the target set by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, framing the drug menace as a public health, economic and national security threat rolled into one — a fight already being waged in the Northeast, where agencies have been tightening the net on trafficking routes.
#AmitShah #PoliceCommemorationDay #Kashmir #Northeast #Naxalism #CAPF #DrugFreeIndia #InternalSecurity
