Following intelligence reports on a massive gathering of top Maoist leaders from Chhattisgarh, Andhra Pradesh, West Bengal, Jharkhand and Odisha in the Saranda forest along the Odisha-Jharkhand border for a “party meeting” on Thursday, the Jharkhand and Odisha police are on a high alert in the area. Sources in the top police brass said a massive deployment of armed police forces has been made around the periphery of the Saranda forest while security has been tightened across areas known for Maoist activities.
In its bid to foil the proposed meeting of the ultras, the Jharkhand and Odisha police forces on Wednesday began joint combing operations in Chirubeda, Ramaloi and Topadihi of Odisha’s Sundargarh district as well as in the Digha, Tirilposi, Bitkalsoya, Thelkobad and Bandgaon areas in Jharkhand, sources said.