Schools kids becoming Naxals

Raipur, July 3: Maoists have constituted “Baal Action Teams” to deploy school children in different capacities in their attempt to regroup the child cadres and boost their perceived military strength.

BAT, a specialised school children unit of Naxal which has started operating in Bastar region from past several months, would also help the Baal Sanghams (children associations) and Chhatra Ranchi: Y H Ramesh was on Wednesday appointed as the new police chief of Jharkhand’s Pakur district, a day after his predecessor Amarjit Balihar was killed in an ambush by Maoists. A 2010 batch IPS officer, Ramesh would take charge on Wednesday. He was earlier Tandua SDPO in Chatra district. — PTI Sanghams (student associations), that are already functional in LWE areas, intelligence sources said.

“Naxals have been recruiting and using chil- dren in different capacities since the inception of the movement...it exposes children to risk of injury and death,” additional director general of police (Anti-Naxal Ops) R.K. Vij said.

“Bal Sanghams and Chhatra Sangham were active for the past several years in the region. They use them as informers, messengers and even as shields during military operations,” Vij said. He did not rule out the possibility of change in nomenclature of the children cadres.

“We are continuously generating awareness among tribals in the region and by several means to prevent the youths from joining the movement,” he added.

A senior Intelligence Bureau official said that four months back security forces received documents in Kondagaon, Bastar and Narayanpur districts of south Chhattisgarh, which revealed that the Maoists were organising ‘Baal Action Teams’ to gather intelligence and to expand propaganda. — PTI