Deputy CM Vijay Sharma and Forest Minister Kedar Kashyap lead motorcycle rally through former Maoist strongholds; three-day march to culminate at Karregutta Hill on August 14
Raipur, August 12, 2026: The Bastar Tiranga Yatra 2026 began from Narayanpur on Wednesday with a strong message of peace, national unity and development, as the Tricolour was carried through areas that were once among the worst affected by Left-Wing Extremism.
Deputy Chief Minister and Home Minister Vijay Sharma and Forest Minister Kedar Kashyap led the motorcycle rally from the Higher Secondary School ground in Narayanpur. The yatra was flagged off in the presence of community leaders, elected representatives, officials and a large number of youths. The two ministers also interacted with children participating in the rally and encouraged them.
The three-day yatra will pass through several highly sensitive and formerly Maoist-affected areas of Bastar before concluding with the hoisting of the national flag at Karregutta Hill in Bijapur district on August 14.
‘Tricolour will now fly proudly in every corner of Bastar’
Addressing the gathering, Deputy Chief Minister Sharma said Narayanpur was deliberately chosen as the starting point because the district had remained affected by Naxalism for a long period.
He said the yatra would send a message to the country and the world that areas once associated with Maoist violence are now moving towards peace, development and national integration.
Sharma said that under the guidance of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah, and under the leadership of Chief Minister Vishnu Deo Sai, the state government had pursued a determined strategy against Maoism.
He said the government had set March 31, 2026, as the target for eliminating Naxalism and asserted that the Tricolour would now fly with pride and honour across Bastar during every national celebration.
According to Sharma, since January 2024, the national flag has been hoisted during national festivals in several remote villages of Bastar. He said this Independence Day would be significant as the Tricolour would be unfurled in more than 90 villages across the Bastar division for the first time since Independence.
From Maoist diktats to the Tricolour
Sharma said the transformation in Bastar was reflected in the changing aspirations of villagers. He recalled that Maoists had earlier issued diktats requiring people to display black flags during national festivals, whereas the Tricolour is now being proudly displayed at homes.
He attributed the change to the courage of Bastar’s people and the determination of security forces, saying the region had broken free from the grip of Naxalism and was now ready to write a new chapter of development.
The Deputy Chief Minister said the government was working to provide basic amenities and development opportunities in Bastar, with emphasis on roads, education, skill development, minor forest produce processing and employment generation. He also warned that strict action would be taken against irregularities in development projects.
Yatra to pass through former Maoist strongholds
Forest Minister and Narayanpur MLA Kedar Kashyap said the Tiranga Yatra was passing through places that were once considered major centres of Maoist activity.
He said soil would be collected from locations where security personnel and civilians had made the supreme sacrifice, with the collected soil proposed to be used for a memorial.
Kashyap said Bastar had emerged from the “shackles of Naxalism” and was now moving towards development and prosperity.
Three-day route covers Narayanpur, Dantewada, Sukma and Bijapur
On the first day, the yatra travelled from Narayanpur through Munjmeta, Jharagaon, Dhaurai, Kanhargaon, Kadenar, Bodli and Satdhar before reaching Barsur and Dantewada.
On August 13, the procession will move through Maoist-affected areas of Sukma and Bijapur districts. On the final day, August 14, it will proceed from Bijapur through Avapalli, Usur, Galgam, Nambi and Tadpala before reaching Karregutta Hill, where the Tricolour will be hoisted.
The event was attended by Minor Forest Produce Federation Chairman Rupsay Salam, Zila Panchayat President Narayan Markam, Municipal Council President Indraprasad Baghel, public representatives Rahul Tikariya and Sandhya Pawar, Bastar Commissioner Doman Singh, IG Badri Narayan Meena, Collector Namrata Jain, SP Sandeep Kumar Patel, senior forest and district officials, elected representatives and a large number of youths.
