“The banned CPI (Maoist) has weakened in the Visakha Agency area as important members have surrendered during the last one month,” Superintendent of Police Vineet Brij Lal said here on Thursday.
Some more important cadres were inclined to surrender, Mr. Brij Lal said at a press conference at which two area committee members who surrendered before him were produced. OSD of Narsipatnam C.M. Trivikrama Varma and Additional SP of Chintapalli Ake Ravi Krishna were also present.
‘No recruitment'
There was no recruitment from Visakhapatnam during the last one to one-and-half years. The party was faced with the problem of local girijans leaving it, forcing it to bring members from Chhattisgarh and other areas outside the State.
Out of 60 to 65 in a Maoist platoon, only 20 to 25 were locals and the rest from other places. But here, the locals and Koyas from Chhattisgarh were at loggerheads, as the latter were trying to dominate even senior cadres of the former. There was also communication problem between the locals and the outsiders.
The large number of surrenders had its impact on the party, which could not effectively form its militia platoons. The party was disillusioned and this was the reason for it committing many murders during November, Mr. Brij Lal said.
The party was facing problems in Orissa and Chhattisgarh too. It was organising public meetings by bringing people under threat. This was only to display that it was having support.
There were more surrenders in Visakhapatnam because the policy was attractive as the surrendered Maoists were given all help and were not harassed. Reward on their heads was given to the surrendered Maoists and several rehabilitation methods were taken up.
Mr. Brij Lal said that 90 per cent of the surrendered Maoists received rehabilitation announced and they were back to the routine life. All surrendered Maoists were kept under watch.
