Lucknow, Oct 8 (DC): Showcasing the Narendra Modi government’s successful fight against the Naxals, Union home minister Rajnath Singh said on Sunday that Left-wing extremism would be eliminated from the country within the next three years.

Addressing a function at the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) camp here to mark the 26th anniversary celebrations of the Rapid Action Force (RAF), Mr Singh said that districts affected by Naxal violence in the country have come down to about 10-12 as compared to 126 some time back.

“The day is not far, may be in a time period of 1-2 or 3 years, that Left-wing extremism will be eliminated and this would happen due to the determination, courage and hard work of our forces,” he said.

“I congratulate you on the kind of work you have done in the Left-wing extremism theatre of the country,” Mr Singh said.

The minister said the force has killed 131 Maoists and militants this year while it has apprehended 1,278 of them and has effected 58 surrenders.

The home minister said that Jammu and Kashmir, where the CRPF is deployed as the lead counter-militancy force, has always been and will be an “inseparable” part of India. He said militant incidents have decreased in Jammu and Kashmir and that the security forces have been giving a befitting reply to the terrorists.

In an obvious reference to the killing of Apple firm’s executive by Uttar Pradesh cops in Lucknow, Mr Rajnath Singh said, “All the police forces are like civilised units and they should never do anything that will label them as ‘brutal’. One should know how to behave during crowd control and should always know how much and when to use force”.

The RAF is a part of the CRPF, the country’s largest paramilitary force with over three lakh personnel.

An RAF battalion has strength of over 1,000 personnel and it is equipped with gadgets and non-lethal weapons like pump-action guns, tear smoke grenade launchers and others to enforce security and law and order in case of protests or riot-like situations.