Intelligence agencies and NIA officials on Monday indicated that the deadly Naxal attack in Chhattisgarh was led by Katakam Sudarshan, alias Anand, a politburo member of the CPI-Maoist.
Sources said Sudarshan aged 56, hailing from Andhra Pradesh, was very active in Bastar region. He was also involved in the infamous 2010 Dantewada massacre.
Sources described Sudarshan, who also uses the aliases of Mohan and Birenderji apart from Anand, as a stocky, five feet and two inches tall, dark-complexioned man with thick hair and grey sideburns. Sudharshan, a widower, is incharge of guerrilla operations for the past four years and is wanted in more than 17 cases in Andhra Pradesh. He carries `12 lakh reward on his head. His wife Sadhana was also an office bearer of the Maoist outfit in their hometown Adilabad in Andhra Pradesh. Both joined the Naxal movement three decades ago through People's War group, which later merged with the MCC.
Home Ministry sources said the Maoists carried out the attack to motivate its cadre and revenge the arrest and encounter death of several top ultras in the recent past. Central committee member Katakam Sudershan was given the task to execute a lethal attack which could grab headlines and unnerve those who were gunning for the Naxals.
Meanwhile, within hours of taking over the case, NIA dispatched a team to Chhattisgarh and began its probe into the audacious Maoist strike on Saturday that left 27 people, including senior Congress leaders, dead. The NIA team flew to Raipur to reach Darbha in Bastar district. The NIA team, headed by Inspector General of Police Sanjiv Kumar Singh, will investigate the circumstances leading to the attack and find out those Maoists who were involved in the attack, official sources said.
The central investigators have taken over the case registered in Darbha police station under various sections of IPC, Arms Act, Explosive Act and Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act.
Union Home Secretary RK Singh, Director of Intelligence Bureau Syed Asif Ibrahim and other senior Central officials will visit Chhattisgarh on Tuesday to review the situation there. The team will hold meetings with State Government officials how to engage the security forces in a better way to tackle the Maoist menace with the involvement of neighbouring States.
The Centre has rushed 2,000 additional paramilitary force personnel to Chhattisgarh in the wake of the Naxal attack. The Centre has already deployed 30 battalions (approximately 30,000 personnel) in Chhattisgarh to help the State Government carry out anti-Naxal operations.
Minister of State for Home RPN Singh said investigation will be conducted to find out possible lapses on the part of the central forces or the State Government and action will be taken if anyone is found guilty.
"Any lapse on the part of central forces or the State Government, buck will have to be stopped somewhere. We have to take action," he said. Home Minister Sushil Kumar Shinde is expected to arrive from US only on May 29.
Waking up to the Naxal threat to the political class, the MHA had issued advisory to all Maoist-affected States to revamp security of political workers and appoint nodal officers to coordinate political programmes so that such deadly attacks do not occur in future.
The Home Ministry said the indiscriminate killing of political workers was a new development, which needs to be addressed on priority in view of impending elections in many Naxal-affected States.
"The level of mainstream political activities in these States will increase. Hence, there is a continuing possibility of more attacks on political personalities and programmes. There is an urgent need to factor this into the security architecture of all the States concerned," it said.
The Home Ministry said this in its advisory to Andhra Pradesh, Jharkhand, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Odisha, Uttar Pradesh, West Bengal, Bihar and Chhattisgarh.
Assembly elections are due in Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, Madhya Pradesh and Andhra Pradesh in next one year while lok Sabha elections will also be held by May 2014.
"It is advised that a nodal officer be appointed at the Police Headquarters to coordinate programmes of all political parties. He should also coordinate with field formations on security related matters -- including security arrangement for rallies, protection along route, carcade plan and enhanced security for persons with high threat perceptions," it said.