Cops step up vigil after Naxals say May 21 gunfight aided by ex-cadres

Business Standard

3 days ago

Police and intelligence agencies have been keeping a close watch on activities of Maoist cadres and their overground supporters following the last week's killing of their top leader Basavaraju in an encounter in Chhattisgarh's Bastar region, officials said on Monday.
In a statement attributed to Maoists and shared nearly a week after the encounter, the Naxals have admitted that a total of 28 cadres, including Basavaraju, were killed in the gun-battle. In one of the biggest strikes on Naxalites, security forces gunned down Nambala Keshav Rao alias Basavaraju, general secretary of the banned Communist Party of India (Maoist), and 26 other cadres during a fierce encounter in forests of Abhujmad along Bijapur-Narayanpur inter-district border on May 21. Two jawans of the District Reserve Guard (DRG) of state police were also killed during the gunfight. In the statement dated May 25, shared on social media on Monday, Maoists claimed some cadres active in the unit of Basavaraju recently surrendered before police and helped security forces in the operation, resulting in the death of the septuagenarian Naxal leader. The three-page statement was issued in the name of Vikalp, a spokesperson of the Dandakaranya Special Zonal Committee (DKSZC), which had been instrumental in executing several deadly attacks on security forces in south Bastar. The Maoists, in the statement said, there were 35 cadres, including Basavaraju, who were engaged in the encounter with security personnel on May 21 and of them, 28 were killed while seven others managed to escape. Police had recovered the bodies of 27 Naxalites. The body of a cadre, Nilesh, was found by Maoists, the statement said.
"The police intelligence was already aware of the presence of the party's (CPI-Maoist) general secretary BR Dada in Abhujmad. In the last 6 months, some people from different units active in the Maad area surrendered before police and became traitors. Police kept receiving our confidential information from these surrendered cadres. Two major operations were conducted (by security forces) in January and March targeting Basavaraju, but they were not successful," it said. After these operations, in the last one-and-a-half months, six people from the unit belonging to Basavaraju surrendered before police. A company party committee member (CYPCM), who was charged with key responsibility in Basavaraju's security, was also among them, said the statement. A member of the unified command of Maoists, which guides Naxal activities in Abhujmad, also sided with police which made their task easier. All these surrendered cadres took part in the (anti-Naxal) operation. Because of them, we had to suffer such a big loss, it said. Maoists admitted they failed to protect their leader. A senior police official said the CPI (Maoist), in the statement, has admitted to the loss of 28 cadres, including Basavaraju, "Through the statement, the illegal and banned Maoist outfit was also trying to instigate their supporters to organise rallies and meetings throughout the country to glorify the death of their cruel and dreadful leadership, which was responsible for the death of thousands and thousands of innocent citizens, tribals, women, children and security personnel. "Police and intelligence agencies have been keeping a strict vigil on activities of underground Maoist cadres as well as their overground workers and supporters," Inspector General of Police (Bastar Range) Sundarraj P noted.
Three AK-47 rifles, four Self Loading Rifle (SLR), six Insas rifles, one carbine, six .303 rifles, one Barrel Grenade Launcher (BGL), two rocket launchers, two 12 bore guns, one country made pistol, two muzzle loading guns and a huge cache of explosives were recovered from the encounter site in forests of Kudmel-Kalhaja-Jatlur villages, he said. "The recovered arms included an AK-47 weapon looted by Basavaraju and his associates from security forces in April 2010 Tadmetla ambush in then Dantewada district (where 76 security personnel were killed) and those looted by Naxals after 2010 Gawadi (Narayanpur district) and 2017 Burkapal (Sukma district) attacks," the IPS officer said. Efforts were on to establish the origin of other weapons, he added. Basavaraju was one of the most wanted criminals in the country and so far records of more than 258 criminal cases, in which he had direct or indirect involvement, are being screened by the investigation team, Sundarraj said. Further lawful action and investigation procedure is being carried out by Narayanapur Police in the case, the IG said.