Security forces dub rebel flushout ‘most efficacious’ measure of 2022

Ranchi: Having forced several surrenders and arresting politburo member Kisan Da alias Prashant Bose last year, Jharkhand police focussed on breaking Maoist strongholds this year. Since the begining of the year, the focus was to win back the strategic hills that often served as safe havens for the Left-wing extremists.
Jharkhand police and the central paramilitary forces launched decisive assaults against the extremists this year gaining dominance in Budha Pahar, Parasnath Hills, Jhumra Pahar and the Lohardaga-Latehar-Gumla tri-junction.

The security forces carried out Operation Octopus at Budha Pahar on the Jharkhand-Chhattisgarh border, Operation Thunderstorm at the Khunti-Saraikela-Chaibasa tri-junction and Operation Double Bull at Lohardaga-Latehar-Gumla tri-junction. Anti-extremist operations were also held at Parasnath Hills and the Chatra-Gaya borders.
Police are rating the regaining of dominance over Budha Pahar as the “most efficacious counter-insurgency measures of recent times”. They mentioned that the area was a Maoist command centre for three decades and a training ground for militants. The movement of troops in the area was challenging as it was heavily mined with improvised explosive devices, they added.
Following the area domination, the security forces have set up 20 forward operating bases in the erstwhile strongholds to prevent the extremists from regaining ground.
Speaking on the extremist scenario, inspector general (operations) Amol Homkar said, “The security forces conducted continuous intelligence-based operations rendering major blows to the extremists. The CPI (Maoist) is at present confined to a very few areas in the state. It has almost been eradicated from Budha Pahar, Parasnath and the tri-junction.”
Homkar said activities of other splinter groups, including the People’s Liberation Front of India and Trtiya Prastuti Committee, are also on the decline.
The state registered 98 extremist related violence this year, which was less than 2021 (105) and 2020 (126). The number of apprehensions this year was 415, compared to 440 in 2021 and 459 in 2020. Among the arrested Maoists this year are two special area committee members and four zonal commanders.
During the operations, 10 extremists, including a sub-zonal commander and an area commander each have been killed.
The security forces have not suffered major reverses this year except for the death of CRPF constable Chitranjan Kumar in an operation in Chatra district in October.