Guwahati, Feb 21 (KNO): Crediting security forces, particularly the Central Reserve Police Force, for restoring peace in Jammu and Kashmir, Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Saturday said that incidents of stone pelting in Kashmir have come down to “zero.”
Addressing the 87th Raising Day parade of the force in Guwahati, Shah, according to the news agency—Kashmir News Observer (KNO) said, “Stone pelting incidents in Kashmir have become zero. Industries are coming up, and development is taking place. CRPF, BSF and especially Jammu and Kashmir Police have a huge contribution in this,” he said.
He said that after the abrogation of the Article 370 not a single bullet was needed to be fired in Jammu and Kashmir, with the CRPF playing an important role in ensuring that.
Shah said that 11-12 years ago, the country had three major hotspots—Jammu and Kashmir, Left-Wing Extremism-affected areas, and the Northeast—which had become sores for the nation's internal security. “Today, success has been achieved in establishing peace in all three places. In these three hotspots, bomb blasts, bullets, bandhs, blockades, and destruction were once prominent, but now all three regions have become engines of growth, driving the development of the entire country forward,” he said, adding, “Without the sacrifice made by these CRPF martyrs, it would have been impossible to bring these three hotspots onto the path of development.”
The Union Home Minister said that for 86 years, CRPF has been strengthening the country's internal security with its outstanding performance, valor, patience, bravery and sacrifices. “The internal security of the country cannot even be imagined without CRPF. Since its inception till date, over 86 years, the CRPF has stood as a strong pillar of the nation's internal security due to its dedication to duty and has been delivering results as well,” he added.
Shah said that 2,270 jawans of CRPF have made the supreme sacrifice to keep the country safe, and the entire nation thanks and pays tributes to them. He emphasized that it is precisely because of this dedication to duty and sacrifices made that the CRPF jawans have protected the nation on numerous occasions.
The Union Home Minister said: “For the first time in the 86-year history of CRPF, Raising Day celebrations are being held in the Northeast, in Assam, which is a matter of pride for all of us and the entire Northeast.”
He said that in 2019, it was decided that the annual parade of the Central Armed Police Forces (CAPFs) would be held in different parts of the country, and today, the CRPF parade is being held in one of the most important parts of the country—the Northeast. “Today 14 CRPF jawans have been awarded the Police Medal for Gallantry, 5 jawans have received the President's Police Medal for Distinguished Service, and 5 CRPF battalions have been honored with medals for outstanding performance.”
He said that the journey of the CRPF began in 1939 with just 2 battalions, and today, with 248 battalions and a strength of 3.25 lakh personnel, the CRPF has become the world's largest CAPF.
Shah emphasized that the CRPF has played a key role in protecting internal security and sovereignty of the entire country. “On 9th April 1965, in the Rann of Kutch, CRPF displayed great bravery while confronting the Pakistani Army at Sardar Post, and therefore 9 April is observed every year as Shaurya Diwas,” he added.
Shah said that Naxalism had spread across 12 states and countless districts of the country, and when the Government of India resolved to uproot this menace, personnel of the CRPF and the CoBRA force played the most crucial role in this effort. “Such a huge, complex, and difficult task was completed in just three years, and it is because of the CRPF personnel that we can confidently say that by 31 March 2026, the country will be completely free from Naxalism.”
The Union Home Minister said that under Operation Black Forest against Naxalites, CRPF personnel carried out operations for 21 days in extremely challenging geographical conditions, enduring temperatures of 45 degrees Celsius under the scorching sun, and eliminated the Naxalites’ stronghold. “Displaying exceptional courage, CRPF jawans did not retreat even an inch while operating for 21 days on rocky hills heated by 45-degree temperatures, ultimately dismantling the strategic base of the Naxalites.’
He said that the CRPF and the CoBRA force have made a very significant contribution in freeing the country from red terror.
The Home Minister said that CRPF jawans have made a significant contribution to the successful conduct of several religious festivals, the Mahakumbh, and the Amarnath Yatra. He added that the CRPF has consistently strengthened and safeguarded the country’s internal security.
LAYS FOUNDATION STONE OF ASSAM POLICE HEADQUARTER
The Union Home Minister also laid the foundation stone of the headquarters of 10th Battalion of the Assam Police in Kamrup, Assam, and addressed a public gathering.
In his address, he said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi has developed Assam in every sector and in the next five years, Assam will become the industrial hub of eastern and North-Eastern India.
Shah said that PM Modi possesses the courage, determination, and firm resolve to free the country’s land from infiltrators. He stated that the support of the state government is essential to remove infiltrators, which would never be possible if the opposition party comes to power.
Shah alleged that infiltrators have become a vote bank for the opposition party. He added that once our party’s government is formed, within the next five years they will remove infiltrators not only from the electoral rolls but also from the country.
He said that the Election Commission is conducting the SIR because the process will help identify infiltrators. “The Leader of the Opposition has launched an agitation against it. The country will certainly be freed from infiltrators,” he said.
Shah said, “Under our government, the country is becoming free from Naxalism, and in the same way, Assam and the entire nation will also become free from infiltrators.”—(KNO)