Chhattisgarh to step up Maoist offensive
By IANSTuesday, October 12, 2010
RAIPUR - Chhattisgarh has decided to step up the offensive against Maoist guerrillas.
The offensive against the banned Communist Party of India-Maoist (CPI-Maoist) had slackened since July as the security forces found it difficult to operate in the thick jungles that serve as Maoist hideouts.
“After a let up during monsoon, we will now step up the offensive in Maoist pockets,” an official at the police headquarters told IANS.
Chhattisgarh’s 40,000 sq km Bastar region, a long-time stronghold of the Maoists, is ringed by landmines placed by the guerrillas to prevent the movement of security forces.
The official said that roughly 40,000 personnel drawn from the state police and paramilitary forces including the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF), Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) and Border Security Force (BSF) have been deployed in the five districts of Bastar region.
These include Dantewada, Bijapur, Bastar, Narayanpur and Kanker.
The state police force will also intensify operations in parts of Mahasamund and Raipur districts where rebels have made inroads in recent months.
Maoists have a presence in 13 of state’s 18 districts, with a dominating presence in seven.
Officials say roughly 2,100 people have been killed in Maoist violence in the state since it was born in November 2000.
