Amit Shah hails security personnel for violence-free Bengal polls

New Delhi: Union home minister Amit Shah on Wednesday stated that India had successfully eliminated electoral violence in UP and Bihar, and this was achieved in the recent West Bengal elections after a long time.

"During the recently concluded West Bengal assembly elections, security personnel achieved a significant success by ensuring that the elections were completed without a single fatality," Shah said at the National Police Memorial on the occasion of Police Commemoration Day while setting a three-year target to make India drugs-free by December 31, 2029.

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Shah said 2026 is a significant year for the Indian police. On March 31, 2026, the country achieved freedom from Naxalism, which plagued India for decades. From 1981 to March 2026, the country endured numerous hardships due to Naxalism. During this period, more than 3,600 security personnel were martyred, and nearly 13,700 innocent civilians lost their lives.

Shah said he wanted to convey to the families of the martyred personnel that as the country moves forward on the path of development after overcoming this five-decade-old problem, the sacrifices of these 3,600 personnel form the foundation of this progress. Recalling the history of the Police Commemoration Day, Shah said that on October 21, 1959, in the remote and inhospitable Hot Springs region of Ladakh, 10 CRPF personnel laid down their lives while bravely resisting an attack by Chinese troops.

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"A study of the Hot Springs incident makes it clear that when the battle was decided in the high-altitude mountains, the outcome was almost certain. Yet, these immortal heroes remained steadfast in their resolve that not even an inch of the country's land should fall into foreign hands, making the supreme sacrifice in the line of duty. Since then, October 21 has been observed every year as Police Commemoration Day," he noted.

Shah said that peace has now been established in all three major hotspots - Kashmir, the Northeast and areas affected by Left-Wing Extremism.