Reds are on the run in state: IG (operation)

PATNA: The incidents of Maoist violence in Bihar have come down to 37 till December 22 this year compared to over 100 in previous years. IG (operation) Kundan Krishnan, who heads anti-Maoist operations in the state along with his counterparts Sanjay Kumar in SSB and Charu Sinha in CRPF, told TOI’s Debashish Karmakar that the Reds are on the run in Bihar. Excerpts:
The most vulnerable areas of Maoist violence in Bihar?
In and around Kharagpur hills, Chakarbandha and Valmiki Nagar.Maoists can’t fight security forces anymore in the plains. Some cases resurface in the bordering areas of Patna and Arwal districts. Maoist-hit districts have come down to 16 from 23. Earlier, Bihar was third in Maoist violence. Now it ranks fifth in the country. Gaya, Aurangabad, Jamui and Lakhisarai are the only districts from where Maoist violence is reported now.
Plans to curb Maoist insurgency?
We need a road map to reach people quick and fast as the Maoist insurgency is fast fading away. Now criminals create terror in the affected areas in the name of Maoists. DMs and SPs have to expedite development works in those areas. We need more camps of security forces in areas with high concentration of Maoists.
When was the first Maoist violence reported in Bihar?
In 1973 at Bharonda under the Gurau police station area in Gaya district when a man was murdered. We have come a long way since then and especially after 2005 Jehanabad jail break when Union ministry of home affairs came forward with the heavy deployment of paramilitary forces. Now CRPF, SSB and STF keep surveillance on more than 3,000 Maoists, who are out of jail in Bihar. We have there database too.
Any special training needed for anti-Maoist operations?
One and a half battalions of highly trained CoBRA commandos, five regular battalions of CRPF, three battalions of SSB and 1200 STF commandos of state police are engaged in anti-Maoist operations. Over 300 STF commandos are now Greyhound and NSG trained. CRPF and SSB have highly trained personnel. Even we have modern firearms, satellite trackers and drones. However, deployment of paramilitary forces is a stopgap measure as district police are to develop own anti-Maoist forces through routine special training. A special training centre for STF is coming up in Gaya.
How NIA and ED helped in breaking Maoists’ backbone?
Several Maoist commanders are behind bars. Action has been taken to snap their financial sources by seizing assets with the help of Enforcement Directorate (ED) and National Investigation Agency (NIA). Prevention of Money Laundering Act and The Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act are being invoked against them. Cases against five top Maoists of Bihar are with ED and one is with NIA. If combined action continues, Maoists will become extinct in the next few years.