Amit Shah discuses Bijapur gunfight with Chhattisgarh CM

New Delhi: Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Sunday spoke to Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel over the phone and had a detailed discussion on the gunfight with the Maoists in Bijapur.

During the conversation, the Chief Minister apprised the Home Minister of the ground reality of the encounter between the Maoists and state and Centre security forces in Bijapur.

"The damage caused to the security forces in the encounter is very tragic. But the morale of the security forces is still strong and only we will win this fight against Naxal violence," Baghel said.

The Home Minister said the state and the Centre will jointly win the battle against the Maoists and assured the Chief Minister of all necessary help. He informed the Chief Minister that he had issued instructions to the Director General of CRPF to visit the site of the incident.

In a statement to the media, the Chief Minister said the villagers were disenchanted with the Maoists due to the continuous disruption in the development work in the areas. The villagers are now joining the mainstream of development. Health, education and other facilities are becoming accessible to the remote villages and people are being alienated from the Maoist-ideology. To counter this, the Maoists are trying to make their presence known by carrying out such attacks.

Baghel said in the statement that the state government was not afraid of such attacks and was determined to carry out development work in each and every village.