Sets 2029 deadline to end drug menace
Declares India free of Naxalism
New Delhi: Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Wednesday said significant success had been achieved in curbing terrorism in Kashmir, asserting that peace had been established in Kashmir, the North-East and areas affected by Left-Wing Extremism, with an environment conducive to development emerging in the three regions.
Addressing the Police Commemoration Day ceremony at the National Police Memorial in New Delhi, Shah said the regions were now ready to compete with the rest of the country in terms of development after facing security challenges for decades.
“Significant success had been achieved in curbing terrorism in Kashmir,” Shah said, adding that the North-East had moved forward on the path of peace following several agreements and the surrender of arms by thousands of people.
He also credited police and Central Armed Police Forces (CAPFs) personnel with a major breakthrough in eliminating the five-decade-old Naxal problem, which had affected several states. He specifically acknowledged the contributions of the CRPF, its CoBRA Battalion and the Chhattisgarh Police.
Shah said 2026 was a significant year for the Indian police, noting that the country had achieved freedom from Naxalism on March 31, 2026. Between 1981 and March 2026, more than 3,600 security personnel and nearly 13,700 civilians had lost their lives during the decades-long conflict, he said.
Addressing the families of security personnel killed in the fight against Naxalism, the Home Minister said their loss could never be compensated, but the nation of 1.4 billion people remained grateful for their sacrifices.
The Home Minister also announced that the Union Ministry of Home Affairs had set December 31, 2029, as the target to free the country from the drug menace. He called upon police forces across the country to work towards implementing the roadmap for a ‘Nasha Mukt Bharat’, prepared under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
Shah said drug abuse and trafficking threatened the future of younger generations, placed an unnecessary burden on the economy and often provided financial support to organisations with anti-national intentions.
As part of the nationwide campaign against narcotics, Shah flagged off a motorcycle rally carrying the message ‘Fight Against Drugs’. The rally includes around 90 riders representing various states and Union Territories, including Jammu and Kashmir, Ladakh, Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Uttar Pradesh, Punjab, Haryana, Chandigarh and Delhi.
Personnel from the CRPF, CISF, BSF, SSB, ITBP and NSG, along with representatives of the Railway Protection Force, National Disaster Response Force and National Investigation Agency, are also participating.
The rally is part of a nationwide initiative in which motorcycle riders from states, Union Territories and central forces will travel to Ekta Nagar in Gujarat to participate in the Ekta Parade-2026.
Earlier, Shah paid tribute to police personnel who had laid down their lives in the line of duty and said India’s standing in the world was founded on the sacrifices and dedication of its security personnel.
He said that nearly eight decades after Independence, the country had earned respect and honour internationally, and that the contribution of personnel who safeguarded internal security and protected the country’s borders had been central to this achievement.
Recalling the origins of Police Commemoration Day, Shah said 10 CRPF personnel had laid down their lives while resisting an attack by Chinese troops at Hot Springs in the remote and inhospitable region of Ladakh on October 21, 1959.
He said the incident demonstrated the determination of the personnel to prevent even an inch of Indian territory from falling into foreign hands. October 21 has since been observed annually as Police Commemoration Day.
The National Police Memorial, where the ceremony was held, was inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in 2018 to honour police personnel who had made the supreme sacrifice. Shah said the memorial had become a place of reverence for citizens, commemorating 36,852 police personnel who had laid down their lives in service of the nation.
Describing policing as one of the most challenging government services, Shah said police personnel often remained on duty while others celebrated festivals such as Raksha Bandhan, Holi, Diwali and Eid with their families. They continued to safeguard internal security, regulate traffic and maintain public safety, frequently spending the prime years of their lives away from their families, he said.
He praised police personnel for demonstrating patience, restraint, discipline, courage and dedication, describing them as both the first and last line of defence for internal security. He also expressed gratitude to CAPF personnel deployed along the borders and assigned security duties within the country, including during elections, festivals, protests and other sensitive situations.
Referring to the conduct of elections, Shah said security personnel had helped eliminate electoral violence in Uttar Pradesh and Bihar, while violence had persisted in West Bengal for a long time. He claimed that during the recently concluded West Bengal Assembly elections, security forces ensured polling was completed without a single fatality, setting a new benchmark.
The ceremony was attended by Members of Parliament Krishna Prasad Tenneti and Rajiv Kumar, Union Home Secretary Govind Mohan, Intelligence Bureau Director Mahesh Dixit, Indo-Tibetan Border Police Director General Shatrujeet Kapoor, heads of other central armed police forces and senior officers.
