Bihar free of Naxals: CRPF

New Delhi, Sep 21: The Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) on Wednesday announced that Bihar is free from Left Wing Extremism.

Kuldiep Singh, the director general of the CRPF, said that Maoists may have some presence in the form of extortion gangs, but there is no place in the state where the Maoists are in a dominating position.

Union Home Minister Amit Shah hailed the role of the security forces in their fight against the Naxals. "Zero tolerance policy of Home Ministry against terrorism and Left-wing extremism (LWE) will continue," he said on Twitter.

"We can say that now Bihar is Naxal free. They may have a presence in the form of extortion gangs, but there is no place in Bihar where Naxals have domination. There is no place in Bihar and Jharkhand where forces cannot reach," the CRPF DG was was quoted as saying by news agency ANI.

Buddha Pahad in Jharkhand which was Naxal dominated area has been freed, he said, adding "forces were sent there with the help of a helicopter. A permanent camp has been set up there for the forces. This has been done under three different operations."

The incidents of Left Wing Extremism (LWE) have come down significantly. There have been 77 per cent reduction. In 2009, it was at an all-time high of 2,258, which has come down to 509 at present, the security agency stated.