NEW DELHI: Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Tuesday said the menace of Left Wing Extremism (LWE) is soon going to be history in India due to the tireless efforts of police and security forces.

The minister was speaking on the occasion of Police Commemoration Day.

He laid a wreath and took a salute from a ceremonial guard at the National Police Memorial in central Delhi's Chanakyapuri.

"The success of the campaign against Naxalites can we assessed from the fact that the Maoists, who once took up arms against the state, are today surrendering and integrating themselves into the mainstream of development.

"Due to the tireless efforts of the security forces, this problem is now on the verge of becoming history. All our security personnel deserve to be congratulated for this," Singh said in his address to the troops.

The Centre has declared that the Naxal menace will end in India by March 2026.

"For a long time, Naxalism has been a problem for our internal security. There was a time when many districts in Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, Odisha, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana and Maharashtra were affected by Naxalism. Schools in villages were closed, there were no roads and people lived in fear.

"We resolved to not let this problem persist any longer. The way our police, CRPF, BSF and local administration worked together in an organised manner is commendable," Singh said.