NEW DELHI: Director General (DG) of Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF), Gyanendra Pratap Singh visited Khunti of West Singhbhum district in Jharkhand following success of ‘Operation Meghaburu’ which led to neutralisation of 17 Maoists including a high ranking Naxal commander recently.
The CRPF DG during the visit interacted with personnel of Commando Battalion for Resolute Action (CoBRA), an elite counter-insurgency unit of the CRPF and Jharkhand police involved in Operation Meghaburu. Singh also held a high-level review to discuss and refine strategies for cleaning up a few remaining Maoist’s stronghold in Jharkhand.
As per reports, the DG held a key meeting with Director General of Police (DGP), Jharkhand, Tadasha Mishra to discuss about continuation of the ongoing anti-Naxal drive till the state become free from the red terror menace.
Discussion were held to refine strategies for flushing out remaining Maoists from their last held stronghold of in the Saranda and Kolhan region with both the CRPF and police emphasising on their goal to eliminate Maoist presence from the state at the earliest, informed an official of the police as quoted in media reports.
Notably, Singh had also visited the state on January 19 and reviewed the ongoing anti-Maoist campaign.
At least 15 hardcore Maoists were killed in a major anti-Naxal operation launched in the Saranda forest area on January 22. Security personnel from CoBRA battalion and state police were part of the operation which led to neutralisation of a number of key Maoist commander Anal Da alias Patiram Manjhi and Anmol alias Sushant, a member of the Bihar-Jharkhand Special Area Committee.
Anal Da, a Central Committee Member of the outlawed group was carrying a bounty of Rs 2 crore while a reward of Rs 90 lakh was announced on Anmol who was facing charges in around 150 cases. The operation inflicted upon a major blow to the already weakened Naxal’s outfit in Jharkhand.
According to details, only 50 to 60 Maoists have remained active in the state with security forces closing on them ahead of the deadline to eliminate red terror. The Union Government has announced to eradicate Maoist-insurgency from the country before March this year.
