Security forces ready for a final strike against Maoists in Jharkhand's Kolhan, says top official

A joint team of Central and State security agencies are all set to give a final blow to the Maoists at the red bastion of Kolhan in Jharkhand. In the recent past, security forces took control of Burapahar along the Jharkhand-Chhattisgarh border from Maoists, reports ETV Bharat's Gautam Debroy.

New Delhi:The Central and State security forces have already been materializing an action plan and the forces are almost at the final stage to give a body blow to the Maoists, a top official from India's security establishment told ETV Bharat on their strategy to flush out Naxalites from Jharkhand's Kolhan.

"Our actions against the Maoists are at its peak and forces are going ahead with their strategy of flushing out all Naxalites from their hideout at Kolhan," the official said. Kolhan in Jharkhand is known as the bastion of Naxalites. The Naxalites are learnt to have chalked out their action plan against security forces from different hideouts at Kolhan.

"If we can clear Kolhan from Maoists, it would be a major success in India's anti-Naxal operation," the official said. In fact, the Jharkhand government has appraised the overall development related to the anti-Naxal operation to Union Home Minister Amit Shah in the recently concluded Chintan Shivir at Surajkund in Haryana.

In the recent past, security forces took control of Burapahar along the Jharkhand-Chhattisgarh border from Maoists. A top official from Jharkhand police told this correspondent that between 2000 to 2022, the security agencies achieved major breakthroughs in anti-Naxal operation.

As many as 1224 Naxalites have been arrested during the period that includes 93 top Naxal commanders, one top Politburo member (Prashant Bose alias Kishan da), one central committee member (Shila di), three special area committee member, one regional committee member, 12 zonal commanders, 25 sub-zonal commanders and 51 area commanders. Interestingly, all the arrested Naxal leaders carry Rs 2.38 crore bounty.

During the same period, as many as 45 Naxalites surrendered before the security forces in Jharkhand including one special area committee member Bimal Yadav, one regional committee member, four zonal commander, 11 sub-zonal commander, and 12 area commanders. The security forces also killed 27 Naxalites in encounter during the same period and recovered 961 IEDs from their possession.

"We are giving much more attention in involving the Naxalites in psychological warfare. As we are trying to motivate the people living in areas dominated by the ultras to raise their voice against Maoists ," the official said. It is worth mentioning that Union Home Minister Amit Shah has recently claimed that Bihar and Maoists are free from Maoists.