J'Khand Police aiming to counter Naxal influence in LS polls

The police headquarters in Jharkhand are preparing for a campaign against the Naxals working to influence voters during the polls. According to the Special Branch's information, Naxal leader Sandeep Yadav along with his squad are camping in Chatra, a Naxal-hit Lok Sabha constituency, to influence voting in favour of a party.

Ranchi: With Lok Sabha polls round the corner, the police headquarters in Jharkhand are busy preparing for a campaign against the Naxals working to influence voters during the polls.

At present, the police are taking stock of deployment of security forces in all the 14 Lok Sabha seats anticipating an ambush by the red rebels to affect the elections in the region. Despite the constant police campaign, the influence of Naxals still persists, especially in the Santal belt.

According to the Special Branch's information, the Naxal-hit areas include Palamu, Dumka, Chatra, Dhanbad and Giridih. In these Lok Sabha constituencies, the Naxals are working on campaigning and influencing elections.

According to the reports, Naxal leader Sandeep Yadav along with his squad are camping in Chatra area to influence voting in favour of a party, taking hefty amounts. However, Chatra police have launched an operation against Yadav.

According to information received by the Special Branch, even if the Naxals claim to declare an election boycott, they are working on the strategy to support candidates on the basis of caste equations in the region.

Chatra is considered as the safest place of CPI Maoists due to the influence of Tritiya Prastuti Committee Naxals, which has cadres across Jharkhand. As a result, the left wing cadres are able to influence the voters in areas like Palamu which is adjacent to Chatra.

According to the police, Naxal cells are active in towns like Tundi and Topchanchi in Dhanbad. However, in these two places, the police have kept the Maoists under siege to ensure that they do not influence the election process.

In the previous assembly elections, Peoples' Liberation Front of India, a splinter group of CPI-Maoist had targeted the campaign vehicles of major parties including the BJP. There influence is felt in regions near Kunthi. Police reports claim a possibility of similar attacks by PLFI in Simdega.

Since the beginning of the year 2019, the police has killed around 15 Naxals in encounters across Palamu, Bokaro, Giridih, Chatra, Garhwa, and Latehar.

Abhiyan ML Meena, ADG of Jharkhand Police, issued warning to the Naxals in Giridih claiming that the police are monitoring activities of all Naxal who are in the target list.

He also stated that police are receiving special training in their headquarters to neutralise the threats caused by left-wing extremists in the region.