IB alert on Maoist war

The Intelligence Bureau has warned that the banned Communist Party of India (Maoist) will increasingly resort to the strategy of using ‘human shields’ against security forces in order to put them on the back foot.

The agency said the outfit may resort to the tactic as the reach of the security forces increases in the hitherto “liberated zones” where the “Jantana Sarkars” of CPI (Maoist) have been functioning for quite some time. The IB has also advised the security forces to evolve a strategy to counter the latest Maoist tactic.

“Operations carried out by the CRPF in the last few days in the Basaguda area of district Bijapur have revealed a deliberate strategy adopted by the CPI(Maoist), i.e of using members of Jan Militia in plain clothes as human shield in operations against the security forces,” the IB said in a note sent to the Union Home Ministry on Monday.

Recently, acting on specific IB inputs regarding presence of CPI(Maoist)cadre (20-25), including Commander, Basaguda Area Committee and two IED experts, near village Mallepalli (police station Basaguda, district Bijapur) and planting of landmines on Kotaguda-Tegrappalli-Basaguda road, CRPF launched a series of operations in this area, resulting in skirmishes/exchanges of fire between the CRPF and Naxalites.

In one such incident (August 14), a CRPF constable was killed, while the CRPF party that he was part of, was engaged in carrying out a de-mining operation along the Basaguda-Pusbaka road. At least three more such exchanges were reported between August 16 and 17 in the same area.

“A noticeable feature of these exchanges was that while attacking, the uniformed CPI(Maoist) cadre put Jan Militia members (in plain clothes) in front, as human shields, thereby creating a situation where any return fire by CRPF would most likely result in the killing of Jan Militia members. This in turn, would provide CPI(Maoist) front organisations and pro-LWE elements an opportunity to carry out anti-SF propaganda campaigns with a view to putting the SFs on the back foot,” the note further said.

Meanwhile, in Narayanpur district, in a joint (CRPF and State police) operation, two Jan Militia members were killed in an encounter near Maraskol village on August 24. The forces also recovered three Bharmar guns from the encounter site.

The security forces have killed 29 Naxals in 49 encounters so far this in contrast to elimination of 32 Naxalites in 76 encounters during the corresponding period last year.
Source http://www.dailypioneer.com/nation/91575-ib-alert-on-maoist-war.html