‘Gadchiroli attack part of Red tactical counter-offensive’

HYDERABAD: The Maoist attack in Gadchiroli on Wednesday is part of the Naxal tactical counter-offensive campaign (TCOC), top experts have said. In Telangana too, the Maoists had tried to lure the Greyhounds and special party commandoes recently by planting an IED near Charla, but failed. Experts said the Left-wing extremists have now trained their focus on big targets after the recent leadership change.
The Telangana Anti-Naxal Intelligence Agency’s special intelligence branch experts analysed the Gadchiroli ambush and found a fourth company movement there, wherein local guerilla squads and local organisation squads joined the Maoists to carry out TCOC.They have temporarily paused the party’s political activities and are focusing on military operations.
It is suspected that Telangana’s Ashanna, alias Takkelapalli Vasudeva Rao, who joined the Dandakranya special Zonal Committee after the disbanding of the Central Action Committee may also be a part of the attack leadership. He was spotted near Gadchiroli recently. “After Nambala Keshava Rao took over, they are not resorting to small action. They are looking for big targets like MLAs and resorting to land mine blasts. Gadchiroli attack is part of the tactic,” a top Telangana official said. Telangana police have evolved standard operating procedures to avoid traps and ambush.