Union Home Minister Amit Shah visited the revered Maa Danteshwari temple in Chhattisgarh's Bastar region on Saturday, where he offered prayers on the penultimate day of Chaitra Navratri. He was accompanied by Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Vishnu Deo Sai and Deputy Chief Ministers Arun Sao and Vijay Sharma.
The 14th-century Danteshwari temple, located in Dantewada town about 400 km from state capital Raipur, is a significant spiritual site in south Bastar and holds great cultural and religious importance for the tribal community.
Shah's temple visit was part of his two-day tour of Chhattisgarh, which began Friday night upon his arrival in Raipur. His trip comes at a time when Bastar remains a focal point of the government’s intensified campaign against Naxalite insurgents.
Later in the day, Shah is scheduled to attend the closing ceremony of the ‘Bastar Pandum’ festival — a cultural celebration organised by the state government to showcase the region’s tribal traditions. He will also hold discussions with security force commanders engaged in counterinsurgency operations across the Naxal-hit areas.
In the evening, the Union Home Minister is expected to chair a high-level review meeting in Naya Raipur to assess the progress of anti-Naxal strategies before departing for New Delhi.
Also Read: Chhattisgarh: Residents of Maoist leader's village abstain from voting
Since the BJP government came to power in Chhattisgarh in 2023, security forces have significantly intensified operations against Naxalite groups. According to official data, nearly 350 Naxalites, many of them operating in Bastar, have been killed in encounters over the past year.
One of the most recent operations took place on March 29, when security forces killed 18 Naxalites — including 11 women — in twin encounters in the Bastar region.
Earlier this month, on April 1, Shah announced a key milestone in the country’s battle against Left-Wing Extremism, revealing that the number of districts most affected by Naxal violence had been reduced from 12 to six.
He reiterated the central government's commitment to completely eliminate Naxalism from Indian soil by March 2026, a goal he has consistently emphasized in his public addresses and policy reviews.
Also Read: 4 Naxals with ₹20 lakh bounty surrender in Sukma, C'garh
Follow us
