Cops target 12 Red hideouts in state

RANCHI: Jharkhand police have asked for a contingent of 5,000 CRPF personnel to help them destroy 12 Maoist camps across the state. Most of the 12 camps are mostly situated in forested hills, which the forces consider impregnable and do not dare to venture into.
Budha Pahar on the Jharkhand-Chhatisgarh-Odisha tri-junction, Katiya-Kumandih forest in Latehar, Jhumra-Luggu hills in Bokaro, Gidhaur Pahar and Chauparan-Lohardaga-Gaya at Jharkhand-Bihar border and Tinkoniya Pahar of Dalma Wildlife Sanctuary at Jharkhand-West Bengal border are among these 12 centres
A confidential study conducted by the CRPF has found that Maoists have withdrawn into these 12 bases following aggressive security measures in the last 14 years.DGP Rajiv Kumar said: “These 12 places work as incubation centers for Maoists who have been chased out from all other parts of the state. The additional forces will play a crucial role in dismantling these camps.”
Sources in the police intelligence wing said Maoists hold training sessions for new recruits, organize inter-state meetings, prepare strategies, Maoist literature and make explosives at these camps. The areas are strategically surrounded by hills not connected with motorable roads. The security forces can not bomb these areas because several villages are also situated in the areas. Villagers whom Maoists have appointed as informers help them know about suspicious movements around these places.
Police have tried to reach these areas several times in the past, but they have always failed. “The core areas of these places do not have CRPF camps. The camps situated near them are around 20 to 30km away. When forces move towards these places, Maoists get inputs and change their location,” CRPF IG R K Mishra said.
Forces have no option but to walk as much as 20km to these places during operations and trekking across hills and rivers is exhausting. When they finally reach the specific spot, they are too tired to launch an effective encounter and fall victim to Maoists. In the past, several security personnel have been killed in these places.
Kumar said police have requisitioned the government for five companies of CRPF personnel. “New base camps would be opened after the forces are allocated,” Kumar said. Once the base camps are opened, the forces would not need to walk and would be able to launch effective operations. “The base camps would also enable us to conduct aggressive area domination exercises in the core areas which will help us weed out the Maoist menace from the state,” Mishra said.