On 8 November 2026, Prime Minister Narendra Modi spent Diwali with security personnel in Bastar, Chhattisgarh. The place he chose was the CoBRA Operations Base at Karanpur, which the Prime Minister's Office described as the training base and launch pad for counter-Naxal operations in Bastar and Abujhmad. Addressing the jawans, he said that 2026 was "the first Diwali when every district of the country is free from Naxalism", and that for the first time in 47 years not a single CRPF jawan lost his life on duty in the past year.
The choice of venue is worth reading closely. Bastar was for decades the epicentre of the Maoist insurgency, and CoBRA is the CRPF unit built to fight it. This article covers the force, its parent body, the doctrine behind the campaign, and the numbers, with a note on which figures come from the speech and which from the Ministry of Home Affairs' own backgrounder.
What the Prime Minister said
From the PIB text of the speech (8 November 2026), the main points are:
- A milestone. The country has won its "decades-old battle" against Maoist terror, and crores of citizens have overcome the fear of Naxalism.
- The scale of the past. At the worst, Left-Wing Extremism (LWE) gripped over 230 districts in nearly 20 states, with as many as 2,000 attacks in a single year, and more than 1,000 security personnel killed in Chhattisgarh alone.
- Dantewada, 2010. In that year 76 CRPF personnel were killed in one attack, and in a separate incident 44 civilians died.
- A casualty reversal. From 2004 to 2013, more security personnel were killed each year than Naxalites, a pattern that, he said, changed after 2014.
- Cutting off the supply. Funding networks of Naxalites and separatists were hit and the fake-currency nexus destroyed, which choked weapons supply, movement and recruitment.
- Development. Special drives in affected areas built over 15,000 km of roads, over 9,500 mobile towers, nearly 175 Eklavya schools, around 50 ITIs and 50 skill development centres, plus thousands of post offices, bank branches and ATMs, with PM JANMAN reaching remote tribal villages.
- Poverty. He linked the end of violence to a World Bank finding, cited in the speech, that 50 crore Indians have come out of extreme poverty over 12 years.
- Bastar Olympics. He pointed to the ongoing Bastar Olympics as proof that "children are trying their hand at sports, not guns".
- Sanskrit verse. He quoted Abhyantaram bhayam rakshyam, asaram bahyato bhayam: when internal security is strong, external enemies can do little harm.
Two official statements, two wording levels
An NDA aspirant should notice a difference in wording between two PIB documents, because exam setters notice it too.
The Ministry of Home Affairs backgrounder of 19 June 2026 says India became "effectively free" from LWE on 31 March 2026, which was the target date set by the government on 24 August 2024. It also says the number of LWE-affected districts fell from 126 in 2014 to just 2, and the most-affected districts from 35 to zero.
The Prime Minister's speech of 8 November 2026 goes one step further and says every district is free of Naxalism.
Two cautions follow. First, in a question, copy the exact wording of the option: "effectively free on 31 March 2026" and "every district free" are different claims. Second, the speech's 230 districts in nearly 20 states describes the historical peak of the spread, while the MHA's 126 districts is its list for 2014. They are two baselines, not a contradiction, and should not be mixed in one calculation.
The development figures also differ slightly. The backgrounder gives exact numbers: 12,249 km of roads built in LWE-affected areas since 2014 (projects of 17,319 km approved), more than 9,600 mobile towers, 179 Eklavya Model Residential Schools developed (259 sanctioned), 46 ITIs and 49 skill development centres. The speech used round figures. For exact numbers, prefer the backgrounder.
The numbers in one table
From the MHA backgrounder (PIB, 19 June 2026):
| Indicator | Earlier | Latest |
|---|---|---|
| LWE incidents | 1,936 (2010, the peak); 870 (2014) | 234 (2025) |
| Fatalities (as given in the backgrounder) | 310 (2014) | 100 (2025) |
| Affected districts | 126 (2014) | 2 (2026) |
| Most-affected districts | 35 (2014) | 0 |
| Fortified police stations | 66 (before 2014) | 597 |
| Police stations reporting Naxal incidents | 333 | 16 |
| Naxal surrenders | 2,337 in 2025; 3,927 from 2024 to March 2026 |
The pattern is that violence fell as the state's footprint grew: fortified police stations, new CAPF camps (408 set up in the last seven years, according to the backgrounder), 68 night-landing helipads, drones, satellite imagery and call-data analysis for intelligence.
CoBRA: the jungle commando of the CRPF
CoBRA stands for Commando Battalion for Resolute Action. It is a specialised unit of the Central Reserve Police Force for guerrilla and jungle warfare against the Maoist insurgency; its personnel are selected from within the CRPF and trained in commando tactics. According to the CRPF's own account, a total of 10 CoBRA units were raised between 2008 and 2011 in phases, and they are deployed in LWE-affected states such as Chhattisgarh, Bihar, Odisha and Jharkhand. Sources give slightly different dates for the original approval, so remember the span 2008-11 and not a single day.
CoBRA is one layer in what the MHA describes as a layered security architecture:
- CRPF battalions hold ground and run camps.
- CoBRA goes into the deep forest on intelligence-led operations.
- District Reserve Guard (DRG), made up largely of local police and local recruits in Chhattisgarh, brings knowledge of terrain and language.
- State units such as Jharkhand Jaguar and Andhra Pradesh's Greyhounds operate in their own states.
- The Bastariya Battalion, formed in 2017 in the CRPF with 1,143 personnel, of whom around 400 were local youth from Bijapur, Sukma and Dantewada. It was meant to bring local intelligence and trust.
The Prime Minister also thanked the BSF, ITBP, SSB, IRB, state police, Bastar Fighters commandos and women fighters. Note that ITBP, normally a high-altitude border force, and SSB, which guards the Nepal and Bhutan borders, were both drawn into this internal-security effort. For the roles of each force, see our explainer on the CRPF and the Central Armed Police Forces.
The CRPF: from 1939 to the anti-Naxal campaign
The CRPF is the parent body of CoBRA and the lead force for internal security in the country. The PIB account of its history gives the key dates.
| Date | Event |
|---|---|
| 27 July 1939 | Raised as the Crown Representative's Police, at a time of unrest in princely states |
| 28 December 1949 | Renamed the Central Reserve Police Force by an Act of Parliament; the Home Minister, Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, shaped its role |
| October 1992 | Rapid Action Force (RAF) raised for riot control |
| 2001 | Designated the primary internal security force of the country |
| 2008-2011 | CoBRA raised |
It works under the Ministry of Home Affairs, has about 246 battalions (PIB, 2024), and is headed by a Director General. It has also fought alongside the Army, at Hot Springs (1959) and Sardar Post (1965). Remember that it is one of the Central Armed Police Forces, not part of the Armed Forces, and that policing is mostly a State matter: "Police" and "Public Order" are in the State List of the Seventh Schedule, which is why the anti-Naxal campaign needed close Centre-State cooperation. Revise the Seventh Schedule together with this story.
SAMADHAN and the three pillars
The doctrine most often linked to the campaign is SAMADHAN, announced by the then Home Minister Rajnath Singh at a review meeting with Chief Ministers of LWE-affected states on 8 May 2017. Its letters stand for:
- S - Smart leadership
- A - Aggressive strategy
- M - Motivation and training
- A - Actionable intelligence
- D - Dashboard-based key performance indicators
- H - Harnessing technology
- A - Action plan for each theatre
- N - No access to financing
The 2026 backgrounder frames the campaign differently, in three pillars: Vishwaas (trust, through security operations and rehabilitation), Nirman (infrastructure, connectivity and governance) and Jan Kalyan (welfare and dignity). It also describes a "Trace, Target, Neutralise" doctrine and a National Policy and Action Plan approved in 2015. Our explainer on Naxal-Free India covers Naxalism's origins at Naxalbari in 1967 and the Red Corridor; this article takes the story forward to its current state.
Two other items from the backgrounder are testable:
- Financial choke. A vertical in the NIA pursues Naxal financing; as of December 2025 it had seized assets worth over Rs 40 crore, with the ED attaching a further Rs 12 crore.
- Surrender policy. Surrendering cadres receive an immediate grant (Rs 5 lakh for higher-ranked cadres and Rs 2.5 lakh for others) and a monthly stipend of Rs 10,000 for 36 months. The slogan was a "red carpet" for those who lay down arms.
After the guns: what happens in Bastar now
The backgrounder's case study of Bastar shows what the next phase looks like. More than 3,240 km of roads and 889 mobile towers have been added across the Bastar region. A plan has been prepared for about 3,000 surrendered cadres, with an initial Rs 20 crore for skills, education and livelihoods. In May 2026 the Shaheed Veer Gunda Dhur Seva Dera initiative began converting around 70 CAPF camps into service centres offering government schemes, banking, health and agricultural support. Cultural events such as Bastar Pandum and the Bastar Olympics bring tribal youth into community life.
The change of function, from camp to service centre, is a good example of the "clear, hold and develop" logic that internal-security questions like to test: security first, then governance, then welfare.
What to take from the story
- Place and unit. Karanpur, Bastar; CoBRA, a CRPF unit; 10 battalions raised 2008-11.
- Two statements. "Effectively free" on 31 March 2026 (MHA, June) and "every district free" (PM, 8 November).
- Dates. CRPF 1939 and 1949; SAMADHAN 2017; target set 24 August 2024; National Policy and Action Plan 2015.
- Method. Security grid, intelligence, finance choke, surrender policy and development together.
🔑 Revision block
The event. 8 Nov 2026: PM celebrates Diwali with security forces at the CoBRA Operations Base, Karanpur, Bastar, Chhattisgarh; says every district is free of Naxalism; no CRPF jawan lost on duty in the past year, first time in 47 years.
Two wordings. MHA backgrounder (19 June 2026): "effectively free" on 31 March 2026; target set 24 Aug 2024; affected districts 126 (2014) to 2; most-affected 35 to 0. PM (8 Nov): every district free.
Numbers. Incidents 1,936 (2010), 870 (2014), 234 (2025); fatalities 310 (2014), 100 (2025); fortified police stations 66 to 597; surrenders 2,337 (2025); roads 12,249 km, towers over 9,600, EMRS 179 developed.
CoBRA. Commando Battalion for Resolute Action; CRPF; 10 units, 2008-11; Bastariya Battalion 2017 (1,143 personnel).
CRPF. 27 July 1939 Crown Representative's Police; 28 Dec 1949 renamed by an Act; RAF 1992; primary internal-security force 2001; about 246 battalions; under MHA.
Doctrine. SAMADHAN (8 May 2017, Rajnath Singh): Smart leadership, Aggressive strategy, Motivation and training, Actionable intelligence, Dashboard KPIs, Harnessing technology, Action plan per theatre, No access to financing. 2026 pillars: Vishwaas, Nirman, Jan Kalyan.
🎯 Practice MCQs
Q1. CoBRA, the unit whose operations base at Karanpur the Prime Minister visited, belongs to which force?
(a) Border Security Force
(b) Indo-Tibetan Border Police
(c) Central Reserve Police Force
(d) National Security Guard
→ (c)
CoBRA (Commando Battalion for Resolute Action) is a CRPF unit for jungle warfare, with 10 battalions raised between 2008 and 2011.
Q2. The Central Reserve Police Force was originally raised in 1939 as:
(a) The Crown Representative's Police
(b) The Imperial Reserve Police
(c) The Frontier Constabulary
(d) The Central Armed Police
→ (a)
It was raised on 27 July 1939 and renamed the Central Reserve Police Force by an Act of Parliament on 28 December 1949.
Q3. In the SAMADHAN doctrine, the letter "N" stands for:
(a) National coordination
(b) No access to financing
(c) New recruitment
(d) Night operations
→ (b)
The doctrine stresses choking the funding of LWE groups; SAMADHAN was announced on 8 May 2017.
Q4. According to the Ministry of Home Affairs backgrounder of June 2026, the number of LWE-affected districts fell from 126 in 2014 to:
(a) 126
(b) 35
(c) 12
(d) 2
→ (d)
The most-affected districts fell from 35 to zero. The Prime Minister's 8 November speech went further, saying every district is free.
Q5. Which of the following are Central Armed Police Forces named by the Prime Minister among those that fought Left-Wing Extremism?
1. CRPF
2. ITBP
3. Indian Army's Rashtriya Rifles
Select the correct answer using the code given below.
(a) 1 only
(b) 1 and 2 only
(c) 2 and 3 only
(d) 1, 2 and 3
→ (b)
He named the CRPF, CoBRA, BSF, ITBP, SSB, IRB, state police and others. The Rashtriya Rifles is an Army counter-insurgency force and was not among them.
Q6. The Rapid Action Force, a specialised wing for riot control, was raised in the CRPF in:
(a) 1949
(b) 1975
(c) 1986
(d) 1992
→ (d)
The RAF was established in October 1992. The first all-women CRPF battalion was raised in 1986.
Q7. "Police" and "Public Order" are subjects in which list of the Seventh Schedule?
(a) State List
(b) Union List
(c) Concurrent List
(d) Residuary List
→ (a)
Both are State subjects, which is why the anti-LWE campaign was a Centre-State partnership with the CAPFs sent to assist States.
Q8. Consider the following statements about the MHA backgrounder's figures:
1. Naxal-related incidents fell from 870 in 2014 to 234 in 2025.
2. The number of fortified police stations rose from 66 before 2014 to 597.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
(a) 1 only
(b) 2 only
(c) Both 1 and 2
(d) Neither 1 nor 2
→ (c)
Both figures are in the backgrounder. Fatalities fell in the same period from 310 to 100.
📋 How this gets asked (PYQ pattern)
Internal-security stories are examined in three ways. The first is force-to-role matching: which force guards which border or does which job, and which special units belong to which parent force. The standard trap is to place CoBRA in the Army, the NSG or a state police, as in Q1 above.
The second is institutional history and acronyms: the CRPF's two dates (1939 and 1949), the RAF year, and the letters of SAMADHAN. Questions often pair one correct date with two nearby wrong ones.
The third is trend interpretation: a statement asking whether violence, fatalities or affected districts rose or fell, as in Q8. Here the careful reading of a claim matters, such as "effectively free" against "every district free". The fresh hooks for this cycle are Karanpur, CoBRA, the 47-year first for the CRPF and the 126-to-2 district fall.
Preparing for NDA? Make a one-page chart of the Central Armed Police Forces with their raising year, border or role and special units, and add CoBRA, RAF and DRG to it. Revise it with our NDA study material and the Defence GK hub. Follow the daily NDA current affairs, and learn with experienced faculty in the upcoming Cavalier courses in Delhi.
Source: PIB / Prime Minister's Office, "Prime Minister celebrates Diwali with the security forces at CoBRA Operations Base at Karanpur in Bastar, Chhattisgarh" and the English rendering of the speech, 8 November 2026; PIB Backgrounder "Naxal-Free India", 19 June 2026; PIB / Ministry of Home Affairs, "CRPF Foundation Day", 26 July 2024. SAMADHAN date and letters from the Ministry of Home Affairs release of May 2017 and press reports.
✍️ Written by Col Vijayant Thakur — Veteran, Indian Army; SSB & defence-studies faculty at The Cavalier. Reviewed by the Cavalier Faculty Desk.