Narendra Modi Celebrates Diwali in Naxal-Free Bastar

Prime Minister Narendra Modi celebrated Diwali 2026 by visiting security personnel in the Bastar region of Chhattisgarh, specifically at the CoBRA Operations Base in Karanpur. The visit marked a significant milestone as the first Diwali in five decades that India has been free from Naxalism and Maoist insurgency. During his address, Modi praised the Central Reserve Police Force for achieving 12 consecutive months without an operational fatality for the first time in 47 years.

Modi criticized previous governments for treating Left-Wing Extremism as an incurable disease and asserted that a shift in political resolve after 2014 was necessary to crush the threat. While declaring the armed insurgency eliminated from the forests, he warned that ideological Dimagi Naxals have infiltrated political parties and organizations to incite citizens against the Constitution.

Across India, other leaders joined the celebrations. President Droupadi Murmu and Vice President CP Radhakrishnan issued greetings emphasizing the victory of good over evil and the goal of a developed India. Defence Minister Rajnath Singh visited the Bagdogra Air Force Station and the Sherathang War Memorial in Sikkim, while Union Minister Arjun Ram Meghwal joined Border Security Force personnel in Bikaner. In Ayodhya, Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath hosted the 10th Deepotsav, lighting over 30 lakh lamps along the Saryu River. Internationally, Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif extended greetings to the Hindu community.