Forces to evacuate villagers from Maoist hotbed before combing ops

LATEHAR: THE MAJOR COMBING OPERATION IS IN CONSONANCE WITH THE JHAKHAND GOVERNMENT’S STAND TO WIPE OUT MAOISTS BY DECEMBER 2017

Security forces engaged in offensive against the CPI (Maoist) in Jharkhand’s red corridor Burha Pahar are likely to evacuate villagers living in the core operational area in a bid to prevent collateral damage during crossfire.

“Guerilla warfare experts have already identified more than 15 villages in a 32 square km area, considered to be the core of conflict zone, on either side of Burha Pahar for evacuation,” said an inspector general-rank official of Jharkhand police involved in the combing operation. But this will be a temporary evacuation, he added.

Latehar superintendent of police Dhananjay Singh denied having any information in this regard. Police are tight-lipped about the developments and have been asked to avoid media interactions, sources said.

The major combing operation is in consonance with the Jhakhand government’s stand to wipe out Maoists by December 2017. Jharkhand chief minister Raghubar Das on Tuesday reiterated in Latehar that Maoists would be wiped out of the state by the end of this year.

Burha Pahar in Latehar is considered one of the last Maoist dens in the state. The area is located on the Jharkhand-Chhattisgarh border and is a hideout of the red forces that have otherwise lost ground to police in other parts of the state.

Battling with the rebels in the bordering areas of Jharkhand’s Latehar and Garhwa districts and Chhattisgarh’s Balrampur district for past three weeks, the senior state and central police officers discussed the modalities of intensifying the ongoing operation and using long-range sophisticated weapons to force rebel leaders out of their hiding place.

Earlier in 2015, the police headquarters had sought permission for carrying out aerial strikes to flush out Maoists from Burha Pahar but the Union ministry of home affairs had refused to grant permission. Sources claim such a move would be unprecedented as such an exercise is conducted by the military in bordering areas.