2020 turned out good for the police force battling Naxalites in Chhattisgarh's Bastar district where 40 Maoists were killed and 438 surrendered, Inspector General of Police Sundarraj P. said on Sunday.
Starting from January last year, 112 gunfights occurred between police and Naxalites, leaving 40 Maoists dead. A total of 438 Naxalites surrendered with 80 weapons and 290 weapons were recovered in separate actions, he said.
Bastar Police opened 13 new police camps in severely Naxalite-affected areas. The numbers of Maoist violence and attacks and casualties inflicted by them remained quite low in comparison to 2019, he added.
“The success against Maoist was high because Bastar police is working on three fronts in better coordination with other agencies. We are trying to build confidence in public while providing peace and security,” the IG said.
The specialized local initiatives like 'Lon Varra Tu', 'Manva Puna', 'Amcho Bastar Amcho Police', 'Tendumunta Bastar', 'Niyanar Niya Police', 'Amcho police' and 'Amcho Sangwari' were well received by tribal public as the campaigns are in local dialect and language, he added.
Bastar police also built and resumed transport on the Aranpur-Jagarguna road. Transportation on the road was halted for the past 16 years. Police are helping in constructing roads so that connectivity and development may pick up pace, the officer added.