Spreading their footprint, Maoists map new zone of operations in three states

The 25-page doc, recovered in April this 12 months, describes the brand new space because the MMC (Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh Confluence) zone. It signifies that the thought is to create an entity just like the Dandakaranya Particular Zonal Committee in Bastar. The New Pink Strains: Learn the complete collection right here

Drafted within the type of a evaluation of the 12 months’s progress within the new zone, the doc additionally highlights points particular to the realm that the management should take as much as win over villagers, corresponding to land, differential pricing of bamboo in numerous states, and even demonetisation.

Senior cops confirmed the contents of the doc, believed to have been authored by the “MMC Main group” in March 2017, and mentioned that this marks the primary enlargement by Maoists within the area in at the least eight years.

READ: Maoist couple carrying Rs 9 lakh reward surrenders in Odisha’s Malkangiri district

Talking to The Indian Categorical, D M Awasthi, Particular DGP (Anti Naxal Operations), Chhattisgarh, mentioned, “Sure, it’s true that they’re trying to create a brand new zone known as MMC. We’re effectively conscious of it and have been working in opposition to it. The primary intimation we acquired about this growth was in April 2016. Since then, they’ve been attempting to construct, and affect villagers for the previous one 12 months. We’ve taken numerous steps, corresponding to organising troops and constructing an intelligence community. To date, they’ve had little success. There have been some shut calls with their management within the space, and exchanges of fireplace as effectively, however no casualties. A brand new zone is certainly a matter of concern, and requires us to be particularly vigilant.”

Whereas Rajnandgaon just isn’t new to Maoist violence — in 2009, the then SP Vinod Choubey was killed in an ambush together with 29 different policemen — their exercise was restricted to the southern components of the district. Nonetheless, Kabirdham and Mungeli have seen little or no Maoist exercise to date.

Senior cops confirmed that the MMC is the primary zone that the Maoists are constructing after the BBM (Bolangir, Bargarh, Mahasamund) division beneath the Orissa state committee between 2006 and 2007.

In line with intelligence sources, the Maoist hierarchy despatched 58 senior and center degree cadres, headed by a Maoist commander Surender, to develop and operationalise the MMC in November 2015. “Darbha divisional commander, Surender, was promoted to a rank equal to a Dandakaranya Particular Zonal Committee member and has been tenting within the forests in these areas, heading the tried enlargement course of. He’s often known as Madkami Soma and hails from the Golapalli space in Sukma,” mentioned a senior officer.

Police sources mentioned {that a} small division of Maoists within the area, known as the GRB (Gondia, Rajnangaon, Balaghat), with between 20-30 members has merged with the group from Bastar, making a cadre of at the least 80 Maoists.

”They’ve created what they name two vistaar platoons, numbered 2 and three, and together with the prevailing GRB division, are in control of the enlargement,” mentioned one other officer.

Officers, nevertheless, mentioned that different paperwork, recovered from scattered exchanges of fireplace prior to now 12 months, have revealed that the Maoists haven’t seen a lot success up to now, and are nonetheless within the preliminary phases of “gaining individuals’s belief and constructing village degree committees”.

Prashant Agarwal, SP, Rajnandgaon, mentioned that up to now, change of fireplace with the Maoists of the MMC in Chhattisgarh has been restricted to northern Rajnandgaon. There have been reviews of their motion in Kabirdham, however no firing has taken place there, he mentioned. Mungeli, he mentioned, has not seen any Maoist motion.

In line with senior officers, there have been 9 cases of change of fireplace on this space within the final 12 months, with one jawan killed in an encounter in Bhave in February 2017 — an SLR and 12 bore rifles had been among the many arms recovered.

On one event, the Maoists attacked a safety guard at an ATM within the city of Khairagarh, injuring him and taking away his rifle. On two different events, autos had been burnt on under-construction roads in January and June.

Officers mentioned there are additionally indications that the highest management of the Maoists, presumably members of the Central Committee, have visited the area to push the method.

“Within the encounter the place the jawan was killed, we discovered current editions of the Financial and Political Weekly, proper as much as December 2016, which signifies {that a} senior chief was current,” mentioned an officer.

The recovered Maoist doc features a part, which says that efforts have to be taken to extend “political consciousness of the motion”. “We’ve to familiarise village degree committees of the methods and insurance policies of the individuals’s struggle,” it states.

The doc says that there have been encounters in September, December and February, the place the Maoists misplaced key papers, resulting in safety forces studying of their plans.

“After this, there was a change within the forces’ plans. Camps have been put, and cordoning and looking out has been elevated. There are conducting searches after gaps of three or 5 or seven days, and coordinated missions have been elevated. On one event, these operations lasted for 4 days. They’ve assessed the hazard of our enlargement into this zone from a political standpoint, which is why there are alerting extra troops right here,” it states.

The doc additionally cautions cadres to stay “cellular” and never “keep in a single place at a time”. “As soon as the forces’ location is acquired, details about the circumstances have to be gathered in two hours, and making an allowance for their capabilities, a plan for assault have to be formulated. By firing from one aspect, and trapping them from the opposite, this technique have to be employed. As an alternative of losing power by chasing them, on particular info, ambushes must be laid… Ammunition shouldn’t be extensively used, however explosives gadgets should. Our assault must be primarily based on several types of booby traps and mines,” the doc states.

Senior officers indicated that Chief Minister Singh has been saved abreast of the developments, with the subject developing throughout his month-long Lok Suraj marketing campaign in Could, together with in Kabirdham.

Moreover, they mentioned, new safety camps have been opened over the previous 12 months within the area.

Between Could 8 and June 8 this 12 months, Chhattisgarh Police, ITBP and Madhya Pradesh’s Hawk group arrange a joint short-term camp to conduct operations and facilitate the constructing of a 13-km street from Gatapar to Malaida village in Rajnandgaon, which until then had not seen a lot Maoist presence.

Requested about coordination with Madhya Pradesh and Maharashtra, Awasthi mentioned, “We’ve had glorious coordination with each Madhya Pradesh and Maharashtra. I shall be travelling to Maharashtra quickly to have conferences about this.”