New Delhi: Following the continuous operations by the CoBRA battalion of CRPF along the Jharkhand-Bihar border, Maoists are now trying to take shelter at Gondia and Balaghat zone of Madhya Pradesh-Maharashtra-Chhattisgarh (MMC) corridor, said a top official from the central security agency.
"We have almost cleared the stronghold of Maoists at Budha Pahad along the Jharkhand-Bihar border, which has of course forced the ultras to look for safe havens elsewhere. As per our intelligence, the Maoists are now trying to take shelter at Gondia and Balaghat areas of the MMC corridor," a senior CRPF officer told ETV Bharat on Thursday.
According to the officer, the ongoing offensive against the Maoists will continue till they are totally wiped out. "We are getting good cooperation from the state police forces," the officer said. It is worth mentioning that the MMC corridor has been a hotbed of Naxals since 2015-16. Asked whether the Northeast could be a safe haven for the Maoists, the official clarified that the ultras had tried to make their bases in the Northeast in general and Assam in particular.
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"However, the security agencies halted such attempts of the Maoists at an early stage by arresting some of its top cadres," the official said. Last year, security agencies in Assam's Cachar district arrested a top Maoist leader, Kanchan Da who was trying to set up bases in the landlocked Northeast. He was arrested along with a few other leaders of Maoists.
Interestingly, the CRPF which is leading the anti-Naxal operation in India has started setting up Forward Operating Bases (FOBs) in the Maoist strongholds. On Wednesday, the CRPF with the help of helicopters deputed armed personnel at such FOBs along the Bijapur-Sukna-Telangana region. "We have started sending our troops at the FOBs along the Bijapur-Sukna-Telangana sector. However, the moment our troops entered the sector, the Maoists started firing on us. Our troops also retaliated forcing the Maoists to escape," said Sundarraj P, inspector general (CRPF) Bastar.
Air dropping of CRPF jawans in their FOBs was, however, termed by Naxals as a surgical strike by the Indian security forces. "Apart from setting up FOBs, we are also trying to gain the confidence of the local population which has always been targeted and used by the Naxals against security forces," the CRPF official said. The local population in the remote areas has been provided with health and all other basic needs including roads and communication, the official said.
