Jharkhand police, in a significant development, nabbed as many as three cadres of the outlawed Maoist outfit Tritiye Sammelan Prastuti Committee (TSPC), a splinter group of the banned CPI Maoists, on Tuesday, February 20. The arrested accused include of a Sub-Zonal commander and an Area commander of the TSPC group.
According to the details received, the Chatra police, in an operation, nabbed Sub Zonal Commander Shobhit alias Abhishek and Area Commander Irfan Ansari along with their acquaintance Balwant alias Sandeep Lohra on Tuesday.
The police team has also recovered two country-made pistols, 9 cartridges of separate calibre, a Naxal receipt, along with other materials in the possession of the accused. Those who were nabbed are accused of threatening coal businessmen, contractors of construction companies for levy extortions.
The accused were active within the Pipar,war police station limits of Chatra district and have a brief history of crime related activities in the said region, according to the Chatra police in a social media post on Tuesday late in the evening.
चतरा जिला के पिपरवार थाना क्षेत्र अंतर्गत कोल व्यावसायियों, कंस्ट्रक्शन कंपनी के संवेदकों को भय में रखकर कर लेवी की माँग, वाहनों में आगजनी करने वाले TSPC के सब-जोनल कमांडर अभिषेक उर्फ शोभित, एरिया कमाण्डर इरफान अंसारी तथा सक्रिय सदस्य बलवंत उर्फ संदिप लोहरा गिरफ्तार@Lathkar_IPS pic.twitter.com/P0qk3WTEW5
— Chatra Police (@ChatraPolice) February 20, 2024
Notably, the Jharkhand police, in back-to-back operations launched in the Tonto and Goilkera police stations of West Singhbhum district last week, also unearthed and destroyed as many as 5 improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs) planted by the Maoists with an aim to cause harm to the advancing parties of security forces in the forest regions.
During the operation launched in the Tonto police station limits on February 16, the joint team of Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF), Jharkhand Jaguar (JJ) and Commando Battalion for Resolute Action (CoBRA) had also busted an impermanent Maoist camp and seized material pertaining to daily use from the spot.
चाईबासा जिला अंतर्गत भाकपा (माओ) के विरुद्ध लगातार अभियान जारी है:-
इसी क्रम में चाईबासा पुलिस, CoBRA, CRPF एवं जे.जे. के द्वारा संचालित अभियान के दौरान टोंटो थाना क्षेत्र से 03 IED को बरामद कर यथास्थान विनष्ट किया गया। साथ ही गोईलकेरा थाना अंतर्गत अभियान के क्रम में ..1/2 pic.twitter.com/cVNEeokpNX
— Chaibasa Police (@ChaibasaPolice) February 16, 2024
It is worth mentioning here, that the security forces, with an aim to curb Maoist related activities, have been running counter insurgency campaigns across separate States infested by the left wing insurgency.
Earlier, in a similar campaign launched in the Gadhchiroli district of Maharashtra, the district police had thwarted a major tragedy by unearthing and destroying 2kg of explosives kept in a pressure cooker near Kotgul of Gondri forest region on Monday. February 19.
According to the details, the explosive was kept ahead of the upcoming Tactical Counter Offensive Campaign (T.C.O.C) of the insurgents, which is operational from early spring to late summer every year. During the said campaign, the extremists are more likely to launch attacks on the security camps and other government institutions, along with planting IEDs and spikes in the forest regions with a view to harming the security personnel.
Though, the numbers of attacks and casualties during the said T.C.O.C campaign of the Maoists have been on a gradual decline as the security forces stationed in the Maoist affected regions are now having a much better infrastructure in place to deal with such offensives from the extremist, this includes recent opening of a number of security camps in the core Maoist zones.
It is to be noted that, off late, the incumbent Union Home Minister, during his public interactions, has time and again asserted that the battle against the left wing insurgents is in its final stages and the country will be declared free from the Maoist menace in the next couple of years from now.
