Overview
- The Ekta Nagar parade, which took place on Saturday, Oct 31, saw specialised state and central anti‑Naxal units march before Prime Minister Narendra Modi as part of Rashtriya Ekta Diwas.
- Announcers at the event attributed large operational figures to specific forces, including CRPF claims of 1,387 Naxalite deaths and the BSF claim of 118 Naxalite deaths, and these numbers were presented as official unit tallies rather than independently verified counts.
- The ceremony paid tribute to personnel killed in operations with officials noting a collective tribute to 191 fallen personnel and unit-level death counts announced for forces such as CRPF, BSF, Chhattisgarh STF and Andhra Greyhounds.
- A National School of Drama production titled ‘Naxal‑free India’ closed the sequence with 2,000 performers and tribal artists from formerly affected districts, tracing the movement’s origins in Naxalbari and emphasising local cultural voices in the reconciliation narrative.
- No new policies were announced and the event served as a public messaging exercise that could shape national perceptions of the anti‑Naxal campaign, but the parade’s operational claims will need independent verification to confirm the figures presented.