The chiefs of the Central Reserve Police Force and Jharkhand police met in Ranchi on Saturday to review the ongoing anti-Maoist operation in the state, less than a week after five top insurgent leaders, who collectively carried a reward of ₹60 lakh on their heads, were killed in a gunfight with security forces.
Director general Sujay Thaosen and other CRPF officers held a formal meeting with Jharkhand director general of police Ajay Singh to discuss the framework of the ongoing anti-Maoist operation and current scenario of Maoism in the state, officials aware of the meeting said on condition of anonymity.
Security forces in the state are on the offensive in the backdrop of a record number of surrenders and arrests of Maoist insurgents. Incidents of violence have also declined as the security forces continue to build inroads in areas once the stronghold of the left-wing extremist group, officials said. Four forward operating bases have been set up in the past three months in West Singhbum district, they said.
On Monday, five top Maoists, including two Bihar Jharkhand Special Area Committee members, were gunned down in a shoot out with security forces in Grahe forest of Chatra district in Jharkhand. Two AK 47 rifles, 1 INSAS rifle and hundreds of rounds of ammunition were recovered from the five dead men.
“The officials took stock of the situation about the remaining operatives. More than 120 Maoists have been arrested this year and our teams also recovered nearly 90 IEDs (improvised explosive devices) in the first three months of the year,” an officer said.
“This year, we have top Maoist operatives such as Duryodhan Mahto, who surrendered before the forces. Mahto was a man with over 104 cases and carried a reward of ₹15 lakh,” he added. “The strategy to continue providing security for the ongoing construction of at least 10 important roads in West Singhbhum and Latehar was also discussed in the meeting.”
“The significant success in the bordering area has broken the back of Maoists,” CRPF spokesperson said. “One of the Maoist who died was Gautam Paswan, a member of the BJSAC, who had a reward of ₹25 lakh. His team was believed to be a strong Maoist group that was causing damage to the security forces and local populace.”
