Calcutta, July 27: The pinpoint information that helped the joint forces bust a Maoist camp yesterday has shed light on the existence of a string of listening posts set up by CPM cadres in rebel-dominated areas of West Midnapore.
Police sources said yesterdays risky night raid in which six Maoists were killed was facilitated by a specific tip-off from one of the 50-odd CPM camps in the area.
Nearly every one of these armed outposts are near police camps, which means the joint forces can rush to their aid if they are attacked by the rebels.
Police sources said most of these camps set up by the cadres were located in Goaltore, Salboni, Dherua, Bhimpur, Jamboni, Bhalukbasha and Binpur, all areas with a substantial Maoist presence.
Apart from acting as a deterrent for the Maoists, these camps help the cadres collect information about the movement of the rebels and alert the police. The sources said these armed camps also help cut off back-up support for the Maoists during encounters with the security forces.
Although the government has not given official sanction to these camps, such cells cannot operate in an area where joint forces are deployed without some sort of backing or blessing from the administration. Completely cut off from the area, both the administration and the security forces were finding their hands tied by lack of information and intelligence.
We received specific tip-offs before our raid in the Ranja forest last month as well as yesterdays raid in the Metala forest. Both proved successful as we managed to kill several Maoists on both occasions, West Midnapore police chief Manoj Verma said, without making any reference to the CPM outposts.
Among the six Maoists killed yesterday was Sidhu Soren, a leader whose writ ran over vast swathes of the rebel belt. Eight Maoists were killed in the June 16 encounter in the Ranja forest near Lalgarh, the joint forces biggest success yet against the Bengal rebels.
Its not that the cadres havent counted losses. Police sources said some of them have been killed in clashes with the rebels. Sometimes we find bodies lying inside the forests that cannot be identified, an official said. We believe these are bodies of CPM cadres who have come from outside the district to lend support to their comrades here.
The sources said the CPM set up the first camp at its party office in Enayatpur, near Dherua, last September (see graphic). Armed cadres stationed there beat back a group of Maoists trying to enter Midnapore town.
Encouraged by this, the CPM set up more armed camps in different parts of Maoist-infested areas where the police have a significant presence. The sources said the arms the cadres use include AK-series rifles so that they can match the firepower of the Maoists.
Supplies reach the camps from neighbouring states, and are sometimes routed through Calcutta. According to the police sources, a consignment of 5,000 cartridges intercepted by Calcutta police recently was meant for the CPM camps. The consignment was coming from Bihar.
While the police identified the person in Patna who supplied the ammunition, they were silent on who the cartridges were meant for. Four persons were arrested in connection with the haul. All four are in judicial custody now.
The Telegraph - Calcutta (Kolkata) | Frontpage | CPM tracker cells pinpoint Maoists Cadres set up 50 listening posts
Police sources said yesterdays risky night raid in which six Maoists were killed was facilitated by a specific tip-off from one of the 50-odd CPM camps in the area.
Nearly every one of these armed outposts are near police camps, which means the joint forces can rush to their aid if they are attacked by the rebels.
Police sources said most of these camps set up by the cadres were located in Goaltore, Salboni, Dherua, Bhimpur, Jamboni, Bhalukbasha and Binpur, all areas with a substantial Maoist presence.
Apart from acting as a deterrent for the Maoists, these camps help the cadres collect information about the movement of the rebels and alert the police. The sources said these armed camps also help cut off back-up support for the Maoists during encounters with the security forces.
Although the government has not given official sanction to these camps, such cells cannot operate in an area where joint forces are deployed without some sort of backing or blessing from the administration. Completely cut off from the area, both the administration and the security forces were finding their hands tied by lack of information and intelligence.
We received specific tip-offs before our raid in the Ranja forest last month as well as yesterdays raid in the Metala forest. Both proved successful as we managed to kill several Maoists on both occasions, West Midnapore police chief Manoj Verma said, without making any reference to the CPM outposts.
Among the six Maoists killed yesterday was Sidhu Soren, a leader whose writ ran over vast swathes of the rebel belt. Eight Maoists were killed in the June 16 encounter in the Ranja forest near Lalgarh, the joint forces biggest success yet against the Bengal rebels.
Its not that the cadres havent counted losses. Police sources said some of them have been killed in clashes with the rebels. Sometimes we find bodies lying inside the forests that cannot be identified, an official said. We believe these are bodies of CPM cadres who have come from outside the district to lend support to their comrades here.
The sources said the CPM set up the first camp at its party office in Enayatpur, near Dherua, last September (see graphic). Armed cadres stationed there beat back a group of Maoists trying to enter Midnapore town.
Encouraged by this, the CPM set up more armed camps in different parts of Maoist-infested areas where the police have a significant presence. The sources said the arms the cadres use include AK-series rifles so that they can match the firepower of the Maoists.
Supplies reach the camps from neighbouring states, and are sometimes routed through Calcutta. According to the police sources, a consignment of 5,000 cartridges intercepted by Calcutta police recently was meant for the CPM camps. The consignment was coming from Bihar.
While the police identified the person in Patna who supplied the ammunition, they were silent on who the cartridges were meant for. Four persons were arrested in connection with the haul. All four are in judicial custody now.
The Telegraph - Calcutta (Kolkata) | Frontpage | CPM tracker cells pinpoint Maoists Cadres set up 50 listening posts
