Only 15% of rifles stolen by Maoists found
RAIPUR: The Chhattisgarh Police claimed to have killed 247 Maoists in last two years but has been able to recover only 15% of the total high grade automatic assault rifles by rebels since 2001, the state police data shows.
Police records show Maoists have looted 750 high grade weapons in Bastar region. These include 550 automatic assault rifles and 190 self-loading rifles from personnel since 2001, enough to keep its firing power intact in the country’s fieriest rebel battleground, which has witnessed almost 3,000 encounters between 2001 and April 2018, claiming 3,849 lives.
The police, however, claimed that in last three years the recovery rate of graded weapons has improved by engaging Maoists in their core areas. In July, eight Maoists, including six women, were killed in an encounter in Dantewada, in which two Insas rifles were recovered.
“Earlier, security forces used to engage with lower ranked Maoists and were able to recover 302 bore or 303 bore rifles,” special director general (anti-naxal operations) DM Awasthi said. “Now forces are entering in core Maoist areas and hence the recovery of automatic assault rifles has increased.”
Data show that of the 14 grenade launchers looted by the Maoists, not one has been recovered. Some of the launchers have been used by a Maoist battalion headed by Mandvi Hidma to attack forces in the recent past, admitted a police officer. Of the automatic assault rifles taken by rebels, only 100 have been seized.
An assistant superintendent of police, part of anti-maoist operations, said Maoists having access to high grade weapons was a “matter of concern”. He said the police plan to conduct more operations to hit their ammunition storage. “The check on ammunition is most important strategy for us,” the officer said, requesting anonymity. On the positive side, officials in Bastar said the number of looted weapons has decreased since 2015, barring 2017 attack in Bhejji and Burkapal, where rebels took away 50 weapons. Former Chhattisgarh DGP Vishwaranjan said the only way to recover more automatic weapons is to ambush rebels the way they attack. “The quality of weapons they have got is a matter of concern and the forces should intensify operations to reduce their firepower,” he said.
But the security forces have witnessed some success in the recent past with special DGP Awasthi saying Maoists have admitted in a press release this week that 247 of their members in Chhattisgarh were killed between August 2016 and July 2018. “In last two years, a total of 2,834 Maoists were arrested while 1,852 surrendered,” he said, claiming this was because of a shift in anti-maoist strategy by targeting their core areas.