Anti Maoist ops lacking teeth?

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Anti-Naxal operations in the State have not come out of their nascent stage even a year after they were set in motion. At a time when there have been over 50 confirmed Maoist sightings in recent times, the anti-Naxal forces have made no significant detentions barring the arrest of an alleged foreign sympathiser.

As per Karnataka Western Range IG Amrit Paul, areas under his jurisdiction where Maoist attacks were reported until November 2013, had suddenly become silent. In all likelihood, they might have moved to Kerala and Tamil Nadu, he said. However, there have been no high level meetings between any of these state cops with their Kerala counterparts. “It’s true we had spotted many rebels in Kerala during the November - January months. We have not received any information about the presence of Maoists after that,” said Wayanad SP Putta Vimaladitya who heads the anti-Naxal squad.

As per a senior intelligence officer, the unconfirmed accidental death of Maoist Kerala state Committee member Sinoj alias Rameshan of Thrissur, has affected the propaganda mechanism of Maoists in the state. “Since Maoist activities in the State have not gone beyond garnering support, this could have been a major blow to the insurgents,” he said.
However, other sources say that the top brass of the State police has already expressed dismay over the overall performance of anti-Naxal forces in the State, particularly their unscientific combing operations and intelligence gathering. Officers accept that more infrastructural additions are of low priority now as they are working more on fine-tuning combing operations.