Instead of de-escalating the anti-insurgency operations in Jharkhand due to monsoon, the security forces have adopted alternative methods to combat the barriers caused by challenging weather conditions, top police officials from the State said on Wednesday.
“We have not compromised with our combing operations due to monsoon. Our operations have instead been intensified,” said Inspector General (Operations), Ashish Batra.
The security forces, he added, have adopted alternative techniques to continue the anti-insurgency operations in the difficult terrains of the interiors and keep Maoist activities under control. “Monsoon has always been a barrier for combing operations. But with time, we have adopted new techniques to keep our operations running strong,” said Batra.
Central police forces across the country usually de-escalate their operations in the Left Wing Extremism-hit areas of India due to difficulty in moving in the jungles and increased chances of soldiers contracting vector borne diseases and other infections. The rebel outfits, police say, often take advantage of the monsoon season and strengthen their base.
In Jharkhand, Maoist incidents have been on the rise soon after the conclusion of the 17th General Elections. At least four encounters between security forces and LWE groups have been reported in Jharkhand in the past one month or so. The first three encounters happened between security forces and the outlawed CPI (Maoist) in Saraikela Kharsawan and the fourth in Dumka district. The latest incident which caused major casualties to the security forces was reported on June 14. On this day, bike-borne CPI (Maoist) rebels killed five police personnel in Saraikela Kharsawan.
Batra, however, said that the number of Maoist incidents in the State has reduced over the past couple of years. “Only 56 LWE incidents were reported in the first six months of this year. Last year, at least 59 incidents were reported in the first six months. If we look at the figures from year 2013 to 2015, then the number of Maoist incidents reported annually was nearly 200,” he said.As per figures with the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA), at least 18 of 24 districts in Jharkhand are left wing extremism affected. Other than the CPI (Maoist), there are at least 17 splinter outfits active in the state. “We have had 22 encounters in the first six months of this year and neutralized at least 19 rebels,” said Batra.
While the police are preparing to intensify their anti-insurgency operations, the rebels, on the other hand, may use the monsoon season to their advantage. Additional Director General (ADG) of Police, M L Meena said that the monsoon season often works in favour of the rebels as the jungle gets dense, providing enough places for them to hide.
“Monsoon works in their (rebels) favour. But we focus more on ambush to counter them,” Meena said