The Maoist rebels seem to have been on a ‘serious mobilisation’ drive in Assam.
Barely three weeks after the arrest of two top level Maoists, the Assam police have achieved yet another success in fight against the Naxals by arresting CPI(Maoists)’s Politburo member Anukul Chandra Naskar from Assam’s Barak Valley on Thursday.
Senior Superintendent of Police (City) AP Tiwari said this while adding that Naskar alias Pareshda was wanted by the Andhra Pradesh Police in many cases. 65-year-old Naskar, who hails from West Bengal, had joined the organisation in 1967 and was made a central committee member in 1985 and a Politburo member in 2004.
Police said that Naskar looked after five States in eastern India including Assam.
Tiwari said that the arrest of Naskar was made on the basis of revelations made by arrested central committee member Aklanta Rabha alias Maheshji alias Saikia who told the police about the presence of their five top leaders in the North-East. Aklanta was arrested along with central training instructor Siraj Rabha alias Bijoy alias Suraj.
Tiwari said that the operation to catch Naskar had been launched by the Guwahati Police in association with the Cachar Police.
Another senior police official said that Aklanta and Bijoy were assigned to build nexus with the Ulfa and other militant groups for the procurement of weapons. Through them, the Maoists also wanted to unite the various militant outfits to be able to emerge as a major force, the official said.
Police said that the rebels are planning to set sights on other States of the region as well — particularly Manipur, Meghalaya and Arunachal Pradesh.
The Assam Government had earlier stated that at least eight districts of the State are Maoist-infested. However, the districts in Barak Valley were not included in the list of the eight districts.
Maoism or left Wing Extremism (lWE) has been a recent phenomenon in Assam.
According to the police, the Maoists have so far carried out five major activities in Assam that include snatching of arms and ammunition from police and forest officials since November 2010.