NEW DELHI: The
Maharashtra police action against activists in the
Koregaon Bhima case stemmed from several inputs shared by
central intelligence agencies with local police forces that pointed to efforts to regain ground Maoists had lost over time.
A recent Intelligence Bureau input, shared just before
Independence Day, claimed that the CPI (Maoist) brass, in view of reverses in the last couple of years, was working on strategies to recoup by using local protests and looking for fresh urban recruits.
Its plan included gaining leverage from localised discontent, imparting political and ideological training to cadres, discrediting surrendered leaders, reinvigorating guerilla warfare and seeking urban recruits from students and intellectuals, according to the input accessed by TOI.
A previous input asked police to be alert about Maoist capabilities in handling of advanced weapons, making various types of improvised explosive devices (IEDs) and intent to target police, security forces and government establishments.