On the edge of losing conventional tactics like ‘arms struggle', Maoists in the Red Corridor are resorting to acts of terrorism like causing explosions and abducting high-value assets, Central Reserve Police Fore (CRPF) Director-General K. Vijay Kumar said on Sunday.
“Under constant pressure from security agencies, Maoists feel highly disturbed and dislocated from their strongholds. They are on the verge of losing the protracted war. It is no more a viable proposition for them. Absolutely desperate, they are resorting to acts of terrorism. Abducting high-value assets and causing explosions consistently give wide publicity and that is what they want now,” he told this correspondent over telephone.
Referring to Saturday's abduction of Alex Paul Menon, Mr. Vijay Kumar said efforts were on to secure the safe release of the “popular” Collector of Sukma district in Chhattisgarh. “Senior CRPF officials are also coordinating with the State government. By kidnapping the Collector and others, the Maoists are trying to show that they are in command. They are doing this consistently … but this kind of propaganda will not sustain.”
Agreeing that there was a spurt in Maoist activities in the recent past, Mr. Vijay Kumar said the CRPF was working in close coordination with the State governments and maintaining constant pressure on the Naxals. “They are causing explosions using improvised explosive devices. At least 75 per cent of those who died in Naxal attacks in the recent months were victims of explosions. Since threatened in their own place by security personnel, they are taking to alternative ways of retaliation.”
Asked about reports of Maoists trying to establish a base in the southern States including Tamil Nadu, he said their attempts to gain a foothold and create a ‘South-West Command' had failed. “They have not been successful in Tamil Nadu though they did try something in Karnataka. Repeated attempts to penetrate to the grassroots in these States have not yielded any result owing to high level of surveillance by the law-enforcing agencies,” he added.
