Bihar, Jharkhand police chalk out anti-Maoist strategy

GAYA: Taking a serious view of the Maoists’ onslaught and their stepped-up campaign along the Bihar-Jharkhand border, police of the two states have chalked out a fresh strategy to take on the Left wing extremists (LWE).

A DIG-level meeting, held on Wednesday at an undisclosed place on the Bihar-Jharkhand border, discussed various ways and means to launch an effective operation to flush out Maoists.

While agreeing to step up land and air surveillance, the police of the two states resolved to press into service drones for keeping a close vigil on terrains and forests, which are considered to be the main hideouts of Maoists.

The meeting also focused on exchange of intelligence inputs by police of both the states, coordination among security forces, including the CRPF and its CoBRA wing, and regular DIG-level meetings.

It also discussed plans to take on gangs involved in organised crimes, with the officers of Bihar and Jharkhand agreeing to exchange information on gangsters and crime syndicates operating in the bordering districts.

With three of the five districts of Magadh division--Nawada, Gaya and Aurangabad-sharing borders with Jharkhand, the meeting deliberated on the need to plug entry points.

Magadh range DIG Saurabh Kumar and his counterpart from Palamu in Jharkhand, Akhilesh Jha, stressed on a sustained combing operation along the border by joint teams of Bihar and Jharkhand police as well as central forces.