A day after two political leaders of Andhra Pradesh were shot dead by Maoists in broad daylight, the Odisha police have decided to ask political leaders to follow its Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) while visiting Maoist-infested areas of the State.
DGP Dr RP Sharma said, “The Odisha police would ask political leaders and local people’s representatives to stick to the SOP during their visit to the insurgency-hit districts. Besides, the personal security officers (PSOs) would also be made aware of the SOP which they would strictly follow while accompanying the protectees to these areas.”
“According to the SOP, any political leader and local representative before visiting the Maoist-infested regions have to inform the Superintendents of Police concerned, in advance,” Sharma added.
The DGP further informed that he has had discussed with his Andhra Pradesh counterpart about the murder of the two TDP leaders. Sharma said, “A joint operation would be launched very soon to hunt down the rebels in the Odisha-Andhra border area.”
The Andhra Pradesh police suspect that the attack was carried out under the direction of Andhra-Odisha Border Special Zonal Committee secretary and top Maoist Ramakrishana alias RK.
It might be mentioned here that politicians often flout the security norms while visiting the sensitive areas. The PSO meant to protect them are often misused and carry the protectees briefcase and files instead of protecting the leaders.