Modi Celebrates Diwali With Security Forces in Bastar

Prime Minister Narendra Modi celebrated Diwali with security personnel at the CoBRA Operations Base in Karanpur, Bastar, on November 8, paying tribute to fallen Central Reserve Police Force personnel and joining festival activities at the camp. The visit brought him to a region where security forces have conducted operations against Naxalism, an insurgency the government says it has overcome nationally.

Personnel danced to traditional tribal songs during the celebration. Modi addressed those at the base and said Diwali 2026 was the first since every district in India became free from Naxalism, adding that citizens had overcome fear of the insurgency. Those descriptions were his assertions; the reports of his remarks do not independently establish the security situation in every district.

Modi credited security personnel with ending what he called the Naxal threat in Bastar and said development was beginning in the region. He said security forces had made sacrifices and served with dedication. His remarks included a criticism of previous Congress governments, which he said had not adequately addressed Naxalism. He cited figures from 2004 to 2013, saying security personnel were...