‘Kanha park new refuge of Maoists’
a new corridor in Balaghat, Mandla and Dindori on the Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra and Chhattisgarh (MMC) tri-junction.” This so-called MMC corridor, which includes Kanha, is a new worry for security forces, who believe Maoists are building this to escape the crackdown in Chhattisgarh’s Bastar region.
GP Singh, inspector general of police, Durg, Chhattisgarh, said, “It is a fact that Maoists are making Kanha National Park a safe haven. The recent attacks in the tiger reserve are examples.”
WHAT WORRIES THE SECURITY FORCES
Chhattisgarh police have intelligence that the Vistaar Dalam has grown from a few members to around 180. “Gathering intelligence is a nightmare. Nearly 80% of the park is not explorable and Maoists are banking on this,” said a senior police officer. He too did not want to be named.
Referring to the attacks on the forest posts, the officer said, “It means they have done their mapping and want to establish a base. Maoists are eyeing Kanha and it will be naive to deny this.”
KANHA OFFICIALS, COPS PLAY DOWN FEAR
Makrand Deouskar, inspector general of police (intelligence), MP, said the presence of Maoists in Kanha was an “important” development, but denied the “safe haven” fears of Chhattisgarh police. “No locals have joined the Maoists and they are not getting support from villagers,” said Deouskar.
The park’s field director, Sanjay Shukla, said, “Kanha is not a safe haven for Maoists. They are active mostly in Kawardha and Mungeli (in Chhattisgarh). Teenpani chowki area, where an attack took place on February 12, is also close to Chhattisgarh.”
Contrary to police belief that Maoists set the Lathawar post on fire, Shukla said, “We think it was the handiwork of local villagers.”
He said tourism would not be affected in any way. “Tourism is confined mostly to western parts of Kanha. There is little tourism in Phen sanctuary or the eastern parts adjoining Chhattisgarh.”
Kanha has more than 85 tigers, according to OP Mishra, in-charge of the tourism section in the park. “Kanha attracted 140,000 tourists in 2017,” he said.
Chhattisgarh too has a national park-tiger reserve adjoining Kanha. Chhattisgarh announced the Bhoramdeo Tiger Reserve in 2017. Tigers have not been spotted in Bhoramdeo, but officials expect the ones in Kanha will, in due course, move in.
Chhattisgarh is in process of displacing 27 villages under Bhoramdeo reserve limits. Police have information Maoists are reaching out to people in some of these villages to foment trouble.