NEW DELHI, Aug 16: Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Saturday said the Tricolour was now flying proudly over Kurregutta Hills, once a stronghold of Naxal violence, and across Jammu and Kashmir, where hoisting the national flag had earlier invited threats.
In a post on X, Shah said Independence Day was being celebrated with enthusiasm in areas that were once affected by Left-Wing Extremism.
“Where once guns roared, now patriotism echoes. The Tricolour waving over the red soil is a symbol of the strength, progress and self-confidence of a Naxal-free new Bastar,” he said.
The three-day Bastar Tiranga Yatra, covering nearly 600 kilometres through areas once considered Maoist strongholds, concluded on Friday with the hoisting of the national flag at Kurregutta Hills in Bijapur district.
Chhattisgarh Deputy Chief Minister Vijay Sharma and Forest Minister Kedar Kashyap led the motorcycle rally, which was joined by public representatives, local residents and community leaders.
Kurregutta, located along the Chhattisgarh-Telangana border, was once regarded as a major Maoist hideout and had witnessed extensive anti-Maoist operations by security forces.
Shah also highlighted the Tiranga Yatras in Jammu and Kashmir, saying the region had witnessed a transformation from fear to greater freedom.
He said that while hoisting the Tricolour had once invited threats in Jammu and Kashmir, people were now participating in Tiranga Yatras and displaying the national flag with pride.
