State police gear up to tackle Naxal threat

Contestants asked to take all precautions

With information trickling in that Maoists may resort to violence at some places during the elections in Andhra Pradesh, police have sounded an alert in the State, particularly in the border areas.

“Consequent on the intelligence alert, vigil has been stepped up in all vulnerable villages,” a senior police officer said.

Top police officials discussed the situation with their counterparts in Odisha and Chhattisgarh, and decided to intensify combing on the borders in coordination with them, the officer said.

The Maoists, during the Tactical Counter Offensive Campaign (TCOC), called upon the villagers to boycott polls, and threatened to unleash violence.

Area domination

At the meeting, the officers discussed the strategy to be adopted in extremist-affected areas, cut-off areas on Andhra Odisha Border (AOB) and in Chhattisgarh, and planned for area domination.

“We have asked the contestants and party functionaries to alert the local police on their visits to villages, and take all precautions during election campaign,” the officer, who is monitoring the anti-Naxal operations in the State, said.

Greyhounds and Central Armed Paramilitary Forces have been deployed in border villages with a history of extremist violence, he said.

“Paramilitary forces and anti-Naxal squads have been mobilised in East Godavari, Visakhapatnam, Visakhapatnam Rural and West Godavari districts as a precautionary measure,” the officer added.