Home Minister Amit Shah on Saturday hailed the personnel of the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) and the Commando Battalion for Resolute Action (CoBRA) unit for playing a crucial role in combating the menace of Naxalism in the country.Addressing the function to mark the 87th Raising Day of the CRPF in Guwahati, Shah said, “Naxalism had once spread across 12 states and countless districts of the country. The CRPF played the most crucial role in the government’s effort to uproot this menace. It is because of them that such a huge, complex and difficult task was completed in just three years, and the government can now confidently say that the country will be completely free from Naxalism by March 31, 2026.”The Home Minister said around 11-12 years ago, the country had three major hotspots — Jammu and Kashmir, Left-Wing Extremism-affected areas and the Northeast — which had become sores for the nation’s internal security. But today, success had been achieved in establishing peace in all three places, he said.“After the abrogation of Article 370, not a single bullet had to be fired in J&K and the CRPF played a very significant role in ensuring this. Incidents of stone-pelting have also come down to zero, while industries are coming in and development is taking place, with major contributions from the CRPF, the BSF and the Jammu and Kashmir Police,” Shah added.Shah further said that the CRPF had played a major role in establishing peace in the North-Eastern states as well.“Bomb blasts, bullets, bandhs, blockades and destruction were once prominent in these three hotspots, but now all three regions have become engines of growth, driving the development of the entire country forward. It would have been impossible to bring these hotspots onto the path of development without the sacrifices made by the CRPF personnel,” said the Home Minister.Meanwhile, 14 CRPF jawans were awarded the Police Medal for Gallantry on the occasion, five jawans received the President’s Police Medal for Distinguished Service, and five CRPF battalions were honoured with medals for outstanding performance.Shah said that the journey of the CRPF began in 1939 with just two battalions. Today, with 248 battalions and a strength of 3.25 lakh personnel, the CRPF has become the world’s largest Central armed police force, he added.