Slowly and steadily, the Maoists are spreading their tentacles in central Odisha, which has turned out to be a major concern for the State police.
The ultras looking at the security vacuum in the areas are spreading quietly as there is little presence of Central Armed Police Forces (CAPF) in these areas.
While the left Wing Extremists (lWEs) in north and south Odisha have quieted down, their spread in the central zones of the State in recent times has become a cause of concern for the police and the civil administration.
High presence of Central armed forces in south, western and south western zones has demoralized the guerrillas. 18 Battalions of BSF and CRPF forces have been deployed in Odisha. And more is needed as Chhattisgarh and Jharkhand have huge presence of CAPFs.
So the Maoists are reportedly spreading their area of influence in the districts of Angul, Nayagarh, Boudh, Sonepur, Kandhamal and Kalahandi, intelligence sources said.
The ultras are sneaking into Odisha from Chhattisgarh and Jharkhand as the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) has concentrated more Central forces in these States to cleanse the Red zones of both the States, sources said.
So the Maoists are scurrying for cover in the areas of neighbouring Odisha, where there is vacuum of Central security forces. They are also active near Chhattisgarh and Jharkhand border, DGP KB Singh said during his recent visit and review of the Maoist situation at Rourkela.
Saranda forests, a deep jungle in the border areas, are infested with the Maoists, admitted CRPF DG Prakash Mishra during his recent visit to Odisha.
Earlier, Malkangiri, Koraput, Rayagada, Nabarangpur and Nuapada were the hotbeds of Maoists. With Odisha police, along with BSF and CRPF unleashing active operations, more number of lWEs are either arrested or neutralized.
Success rate of anti-Maoist operations is high in these areas as between July and November, a significant degree of success has been achieved as eight ultras have been neutralized and 31 have been arrested, thanks to determined efforts of SPs of districts as well as timely and strategic interventions of Special Operation Group (SOG) and State Intelligence Wing (SIW), which are operating in tandem.
During this period, 36 Maoists have surrendered with Odisha police and in Malkangiri alone, 483 villagers surrendered en-masse in Padia area.
So the State police are upbeat with the rate of success in anti-Maoist operations and organized action. However, as the ultras are changing their tactics and area of operations, the State police will have to make adjustments in the deployment of forces in the new areas, said sources.
They are moving into Odisha from Chhattisgarh and Jharkhand making a Red corridor through Nuapada-Kalahandi-Balangir-Sonepur-Boudh-Kandhamal. They are also spreading to Angul.