Anti-naxal operation intensified on Jharkhand – Bihar border after Maoist kill one

P Mishra

Giridih : Anti -naxal operations have been intensified on Jharkhand – Bihar border after the July 13 broad daylight killing of a 35 year old man Mahendra Rai by the CPI (Maoists) at village Simrdhab under Chakai police station in Jamui district in Bihar. The state police and Central Reserve Police Forces (CRPF), in coordination with their Bihar counterparts, have launched a massive manhunt and search operations in the dense forests and hilly areas in the two states. Apart from instilling confidence among the villagers, the main objective of the security forces is to ensure area domination by them.   

Giridih SP Akhilesh B Variar said that the anti- naxal operations going on for last several months in Maoists strongholds have now been broadened. “Keeping all positive or negative impacts in our mind, we have launched inter – border operations in the inaccessible pockets and dense forests close to the border. The main issue is that there are several in villges in Bihar where the Jharkhand police can reach earlier than Bihar police. But, Jharkhand police can’t act without getting permission from Bihar police,” Variar said adding that a high level meeting of senior cops of the two states and senior CRPF officials will be held soon to resolve these issues. “We are confident of reaching inaccessible areas close to the border within half an hour. But taking the privileges of few loopholes in the system, the ultras are committing crimes in Bihar,” ASP (Operations) Kunal Kumar said.  

Branding Mahendra as a police informer, the armed ultras had on July 13 slit his throat in the presence of villagers in  broad daylight. The incident took place at around 2 pm. The site of incident is about 7 – 8 Km from Bhelwaghati in Giridih district of Jharkhand. The ultras had oheld a Kangaroo court to terrorize the villagers at around 2 pm before committing the crime.

The intensity of the Maoists terror in their stronghold can be gauged from the fact that Bihar police reached the spot 24 hours after  the incident. The body was recovered by the police concerned on July 15 afternoon.

It was the second such incident within two month in the border area. On the evening of May 22, a group of almost two dozens  armed Maoists had picked up three villagers and butchered them at village Gadi under Chakai block of Jamui district in Bihar, about 6 Km from Bhelwaghati in Giridih (Jharkhand). Two of them were the residents of Bhelwaghati in Giridih.