Jharkhand Police to monitor 63 key Naxalites ahead of Assembly elections

Mail News Service

Jamshedpur, October 16: With dates for the Jharkhand Assembly elections announced, the state is set to vote in two phases on November 13 and November 20, with results to be declared on November 23. To ensure peaceful voting, particularly in Naxal-affected areas, Jharkhand Police has intensified its preparations, focusing on 63 key Naxalites.

On the Election Commission’s directive, Jharkhand has been allocated 100 companies of paramilitary forces, including CRPF, CISF, BSF, SSB, and ITBP, for deployment across all 24 districts. The targeted Naxalites include the notorious Raju Yadav, Gulshan Oraon, Virendra Ganjhu, and Misir Besra among others.

Among the Naxal-affected regions, Chaibasa is the only district from Jharkhand listed as one of the 12 most severely impacted districts in the country. The Union Home Ministry’s Left Wing Extremism Division identified this and four other Jharkhand districts including Giridih, Gumla, Latehar, and Lohardaga as Naxal-affected in its April 2024 report.

During the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, Jharkhand Police successfully prevented Naxalite violence through a well-executed strategy. The police are confident that Naxal-related violence during elections is now a thing of the past, and they are adeptly prepared to ensure a smooth Assembly election process as well.