According to the official schedule, Shah reached Raipur on the evening of February 7 and immediately began a series of high-level meetings with senior officials from central and state security agencies. The visit comes at a time when less than two months remain for the government’s declared target to end Naxal violence, a deadline announced earlier by Shah himself.
The most significant engagement of the visit is scheduled for February 8, when the Union Home Minister will chair a high-level security review meeting focused exclusively on LWE. The meeting, to be held in Raipur, is expected to be treated as the final comprehensive assessment of ground operations, intelligence coordination, and force deployment ahead of the March deadline. Senior officers from Chhattisgarh, Telangana, Maharashtra, and Odisha—states with active or residual Naxal influence—are expected to participate.
Officials said discussions will focus on the progress of ongoing counter-insurgency operations, inter-state coordination, intelligence-sharing mechanisms, and logistical support for forces operating in dense forest and border areas. The outcomes of the meeting are likely to shape the final phase of operations in Naxal-affected districts, particularly in the Bastar region.
Later on February 8, Shah is scheduled to attend a national-level conclave in Raipur, where internal security and cooperative sector issues may also be discussed. On February 9, the Home Minister will travel to Bastar to attend the closing ceremony of the Bastar Pandum Mahotsav 2026 in Jagdalpur. His participation is being viewed as a symbolic outreach effort, highlighting the government’s focus on cultural engagement and development alongside security operations.
State and central agencies have been on alert ahead of the visit, with enhanced security arrangements in Raipur and Bastar. Senior officials indicated that following the review meetings, counter-Naxal operations could be intensified in remaining pockets of insurgent activity.
This is not Shah’s first visit to the state in recent months. He had earlier attended the DGP-IGP Conference held at the IIM campus in Nava Raipur, where internal security challenges were a key focus. Officials said the current visit goes beyond routine review and is aimed at finalizing a decisive strategy against Naxalism.
The outcomes of the meetings are expected to have a direct bearing on security operations in central India in the coming weeks, as the government pushes to meet its self-imposed deadline.
