Trifurcation may help stop Maoists in their tracks

The general crime graph will also have the new district on the eastern side emerging as its hotbed.

What will be the impact of reorganisation of districts in Telangana on the Maoist movement? In Adilabad, where the district is proposed to be trifurcated, the underground outfit is likely to face extra heat owing to the possibility of enhanced concentration of anti-naxal operations in a smaller new entity Kumram Bheem Mancherial, parts of which form the area of operations of the naxalites.

During the last few years, naxal movement and activity was reported from the Bejjur and Tiryani police stations areas both of which will go to Kumram Bheem district. There was some activity reported from areas in Pembi and Khanapur police stations limits which are proposed to be included in Nirmal district. The naxalites need to cross the forests in K.B. Mancherial to reach these jungles.

No change on State border

“We will now have a much smaller area to secure though the riverine border with Maharashtra - the crossing points for naxals remain the same. Planning on intelligence gathering will also be easier following trifurcation of Adilabad,” opined a police officer involved in anti-naxal operations.

Meanwhile, the general crime graph will also have the new district on the eastern side emerging as its hotbed. While the number of FIRs issued in 2015 in the police stations, which will be under Nirmal, is 2,929 and 2,996 in Adilabad, the number in police stations in K.B. Mancherial is much higher at 5,043.

Higher crime rate

While the number of police stations in Nirmal and Adilabad will be 17 and 19 respectively, K.B. Mancherial will have 34. The crime rate in a majority of the police stations in the latter is on the higher side when compared to those in the other two districts.

The crime profile also makes an interesting factor in that most grievous type of crimes like murder, property offences and cheating cases take place in police stations in K.B. Mancherial, those in Nirmal record good number of robbery cases. The police stations in Adilabad are known for petty crimes including those in urban areas like the One and Two Town stations which have a higher number of FIRs issued last year.

The parent district Adilabad, which is known as a dull place, will remain so even after trifurcation in the opinion of seasoned police officers. “Here, burglars put on the air conditioner and go to sleep after breaking into a house,” one of them quipped.