Naxals find the going tough

March 24, 2012 10:22 am | Updated November 16, 2021 11:23 pm IST - ADILABAD:

DIFFICULT TIMES: Naxalites are finding it difficult to take shelter in forests and villages due to the changed circumstances in Adilabad district. Photo: S. Harpal Singh

DIFFICULT TIMES: Naxalites are finding it difficult to take shelter in forests and villages due to the changed circumstances in Adilabad district. Photo: S. Harpal Singh

Top Maoist Gundeti Shankar alias Sheshanna would perhaps be alive had there been enough water in the forests of Adilabad to quench the thirst of his band of outlaws.

The Adilabad district committee secretary (DCS) and member of the North Telangana Special Zone Committee of the Communist Party of India (Maoist) had retreated to the safety of Dandakaranya forests in Chhattisgarh just a month ago to die of snake bite there.

The extremist leader had gone back to the safe haven to avoid problems in the harsh summer when all drinking water sources go dry. “In fact, he had always returned to the safe haven in Chhattisgarh at the start of summer since he was elevated as DCS in 2007-08,” a police officer involved in anti-naxal operations here told The Hindu .

“His task as DCS was rendered more difficult since Maoists had lost the support of people in villages. No food, no water and no shelter - force the extremists to be constantly on the move which is detrimental to their existence,” the police officer added.

For the last four year, the DCS comes to Adilabad in June heading a band of about 25 extremists from the Dandakaranya area.

He retreats at the start of summer owing to water problem and lack of good foliage cover in jungles in the dry season.

“Some 26 of us had come here about 8 months back. Sheshanna went back to Dandakaranya with 15 a few weeks ago,” said Gundarapu Kistakka alias Lalitha, Indervelli dalam commander, and a comrade in arms of Sheshanna, who surrendered herself on March 22..

“Yes, the Maoist leader had gone back taking with him his personal security and the Indervelli dalam. Only some nine members of the Mangi team are active here now,” the police officer concurred.

The failure to recruit new cadres has also made Maoist leadership go stringent in permitting surrenders. “Though I was down with ill health, I was not given permission to surrender for about one year,” Kistakka revealed.

0 / 0
Sign in to unlock member-only benefits!
  • Access 10 free stories every month
  • Save stories to read later
  • Access to comment on every story
  • Sign-up/manage your newsletter subscriptions with a single click
  • Get notified by email for early access to discounts & offers on our products
Sign in

Comments

Comments have to be in English, and in full sentences. They cannot be abusive or personal. Please abide by our community guidelines for posting your comments.

We have migrated to a new commenting platform. If you are already a registered user of The Hindu and logged in, you may continue to engage with our articles. If you do not have an account please register and login to post comments. Users can access their older comments by logging into their accounts on Vuukle.