Maoist-hit States to chase and eliminate top leaders

Mangaloretoday/DHNS

New Delhi, June 6, 2013: The Centre and the nine Maoist-affected states have decided to target top Maoist leaders based on specific intelligence inputs, following deliberations during the chief ministers’ meeting .

Chief ministers and senior officials of these states unanimously decided to unitedly fight the Maoists in the wake of the May 25 attack on a Congress convoy in Bastar district that left 26 people dead. 

 

The new strategy to chase and eliminate is inspired by the Andhra Pradesh model to counter the rebels.

Andhra Pradeseh’s elite Greyhounds forces on April 16 killed 10 Maoist leaders and cadres who were hiding deep inside the forests in the liberated zone of the Sukma district in Chhattisgarh.

Government sources said the special forces of the states as well as the CRPF’s Cobra units are likely to hunt down the rebels jointly.

The top five leaders of the CPI (Maoist) are Mupalla Lakshman Rao alias Ganapathy, Nambala Keshav Rao alias Basavraj, Thippiri Tirupati alias Deoji, Balmuri Narayan Rao alias Prabhakar and Somji alias Sahdev. While Ganapathy is carrying a reward of Rs 15 lakh on his head, Basavraj, Deoji and Prabhakar carry a reward of Rs 10 lakh each. Sahdev carries a reward of Rs 5 lakh.

According to the CPI (Maoists) organisational structure, the central committee is assisted by the politburo and central military commission. The central committee has several regional bureaus. They are divided into the south-west, north, central and east zones. The central regional bureau has under its wings the Chhattisgarh-Odisha border state committee, north Telangana special zonal committee, Dandakarnaya special zonal committee (considered to be the headquarter) and the Andhra-Odisha border special zonal committee.

The Chhattisgarh has  requested the Union Home Ministry to help them identify former Greyhounds and Cobra personnel who can be re-employed for training the special forces in countering the ultras.

It was emphasised that the Maoists’ fire power must be checked.