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Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Monday visited Gundam village in Bijapur's Chhattisgarh, the den of Bastar's most-dreaded Maoist leader, Madvi Hidma, commander of the People's Liberation Guerrilla Army, and interacted with villagers there and shared the government's commitment to eradicating Maoist insurgency by March 31, 2026.
Gundam is a place where the security forces established a security camp, or Forward Operating Base (FOB), on February 14 this year. Highlighting the significant progress, Shah told the villagers that the influence of Naxalism has now been confined to a limited area as well as encouraged them to avail themselves of government welfare schemes. He also assured them that the government's all basic facilities will be provided to them within one year in the presence of Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Vishnudev Sai and Deputy Chief Minister Vijay Sharma. Shah assured the villagers that within a year, the "government would provide basic amenities, including roads, electricity, schools, hospitals, and drinking water facilities in the village." The Home Minister emphasised that multiple security camps have been set up across Bastar to free locals from the fear of Naxal violence. He also encouraged villagers to actively participate in development programs and integrate into the mainstream. "Send your children to school regularly," Shah urged villagers, adding that education is the key to solving many challenges. The Home Minister informed the villagers about the medical facilities available at the nearby camp hospital and encouraged them to seek free treatment instead of relying on traditional practices. He also explained the benefits of government schemes such as free 35 kg rice and the Maternity Welfare Scheme, ensuring the villagers were aware of the assistance available to them. During the visit, the Home Minister inspected the village's primary school, interacted with students about their studies, and motivated them to attend classes regularly. He also informed the women about the transformative benefits of education. To address villagers' needs, Shah directed the district collector to organise public service camps for creating essential documents such as Aadhaar cards, ration cards, bank passbooks, and Ayushman cards. Stressing the importance of financial inclusion, Shah remarked, "A bank passbook is crucial to access all government welfare schemes." While interacting with security personnel at the Gundam FOB, Shah directed them that "Naxals who have taken up arms and are fighting must definitely be killed." Meanwhile, Shah also advised security personnel to form two or three groups and adopt some villages in the region to build the reputation of the force and the government's initiatives for their welfare. Gundam in Chhattisgarh's Bijapur district, a place once used by Naxals as their training camp, is now freed from Naxals. This was the place where the Naxals celebrated their 'Sahidi Diwas.' Gundam is around 10 km away from Hidma's village, Puwarti. Hidma is the youngest member of the CPI (Maoist) central committee and the mastermind behind many fatal ambush attacks, including the 2010 Dantewada massacre in which 75 CRPF personnel were killed and the 2017 attack in Sukma that left over two dozen people dead. He has a Rs 1 crore bounty on his head but has managed to evade capture. (ANI)
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