Union Home Minister Amit Shah will visit a security camp and chair a meeting to review ongoing anti-Maoist operations in Chhattisgarh during his two-day trip to the state starting from June 22, deputy Chief Minister Vijay Sharma said on Thursday.
He will also lay foundation stones for a National Forensic Science University and a state forensic lab in Nava Raipur Atal Nagar on the first day of his visit (Sunday), Sharma told reporters in Raipur.
During his two-day visit, Shah will participate in key programmes related to national development initiatives and review the state's security preparedness, an official statement said.
On June 22 morning, the Union minister will take part in foundation stone laying ceremony and inauguration of various central institutions in Nava Raipur Atal Nagar.
Later in the evening, he will chair a high-level security review meeting with Chief Minister Vishnu Deo Sai, where senior state and top security officials will be in attendance, it said.
The meeting will focus on the current internal security scenario in the state, with a special emphasis on anti-Maoist operations, the release added.
Next day (Monday), Shah will visit Maoist-affected Narayanpur district in the Bastar region, where he will interact with security personnel and meet local villagers to take stock of development initiatives on the ground, it said.
The CM described the upcoming visit of Shah as a "symbol of renewed energy and confidence for Chhattisgarh," underscoring the importance of coordinated efforts between the Centre and the state to combat extremism and promote inclusive growth, the release said.
The state government has allotted 40 acre of land for NFSU, which will be built by the Centre at a cost of around Rs 400 crore.
The state forensic lab will come up adjacent to the NFSU campus on six to seven acres of land, said the deputy CM Sharma, who holds the home portfolio.
During the visit, Shah will chair a meeting in Raipur to review the ongoing anti-Maoist operations and meet with family members of additional superintendent of police Akash Rao Girepunje, who died when a Maoist planted pressure IED exploded in Sukma district on June 9, Sharma added.
Notably, anti-Maoist operations have been intensified in Chhattisgarh since the BJP was elected to power in the 2023 assembly polls and more than 400 Maoist cadres, including senior functionaries, gunned down by security forces in separate encounters since January 2024.
Shah has repeatedly declared that under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the government is committed to eradicate Maoist menace by March 31, 2026.
Security forces achieved a major success when they neutralised Nambala Keshav Rao alias Basavaraju (70), general secretary of the outlawed Communist Party of India-Maoist, in the Bastar region on May 21.
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