With the Maoists targeting innocent civilians more and more to create a sense of fear, Chief Secretary Gokul Chandra Pati has asked senior police personnel to chalk out strategies in a more planned and purposeful manner to deal with the leftwing menace.
While chairing the Unified Command Meet held here recently, Pati said the instances of civilians facing wrath of the ultras are on the rise, especially in the worst-affected Malkangiri, Koraput and Nuapada districts, where the Red rebels are still very active.
Development Commissioner UN Behera, Home Secretary Asit Tripathy, DGP Sanjeev Marik, Director of Intelligence Sunil Roy, IG of Operations Saumendra Priyadarshi, IG of Intelligence DS Kuttey and the IGs of CRPF and BSF were present at the meeting.
The Maoists, who killed as many as 20 civilians in 2014, have taken lives of five such innocent persons till the end of April this year. Even though killing of civilians has gone down during last three years compared to the figure of 32 in 2011, it continues to remain a matter of great concern, feel senior officials.
Official sources said that during 2014 while there has not been any casualty in case of security personnel, six Maoists were eliminated, and by the end of April this year one ultra was killed by police. Security experts feel that in spite of carrying out more and more operations, forces have failed to eliminate the Maoists. The sole purpose gets defeated unless the Maoists are eliminated during these operations, they feel.
However, the police personnel engaged in anti-Maoist operations are of the opinion that such types of operations are generating more fear among the ultras and they are on the run. Operations in Kalahandi, which succeeded in demoralising the Maoists, have resulted in the arrest of quite a few cadres, said officials, adding that a huge cache of arms and ammunitions were also recovered from the ultras.
While 12 dreaded cadres have been arrested during operations this year, as many as 33 have surrendered by the end of April, said official sources, confirming that out of the 19 Maoist-affected districts, three are worst-affected while in four districts the ultras are hardly active. As the Maoists have added in the areas of operations the districts of Angul, Subarnapur and Boudh, fresh strategies are being chalked out to contain their influence in these districts, said sources.
“It was decided at the Unified Command meeting to go in for Dhruv helicopter, produced by the Hindustan Aeronautics limited (HAl), as MI17 choppers are not available for anti-Maoist operations,” said an official, adding that the State Government would soon take up the issue with the Union Government.