Jamshedpur: A general high alert has been sounded in the district in the wake of Maoists observing “martyrs’ week”. The district police and paramilitary forces are on high alert in Naxal-infested areas, bordering West Bengal and Odisha. Communist Party of India (CPI)-Maoists is set to observe Martyrs’ Week from December 2-8.
Police said apart from ensuring deployment of additional police and paramilitary forces, the combing operations and patrolling has been intensified to check the possibility of entry of Maoists from neighbouring states. It has also stepped up intelligence-gathering in view of Martyrs’ Week.
A senior police official said that the police have also intensified the efforts for strengthening security arrangements especially on the routes used by Maoists to enter the naxal infested areas.
“We have asked security forces to conduct long-range patrolling in the areas of Ghurabandha, Ghatshila and Patamda,” said the official.
It may be mentioned here that Maoists observe martyrs’ week in memory of Charu Majumdar, the founder of the Naxalite movement. The Maoist leadership organises meetings in areas where it yields considerable influence.
Sources informed that the high alert has been after intelligence reports that the ultras may attack at naxal areas of Ghatshila and Patamda.
Sources informed that there are intelligence inputs that CPI (Maoist) may indulge in demonstrative acts of violence by targeting security forces and economic infrastructure such as trains, buses, railway
stations, bus stations and other places where people are likely to gather in significant numbers.
” Every effort will be made to maintain law and order and to ensure security of the people. This time all security forces have also been alerted to remain vigilant, particularly against IEDs and landmines,” said another official.
Sources informed that the mobility of the police has prevented the extremists from carrying out any violent activity in the past 15 days in the entire Kolhan. All the police stations in the three districts of the division including East and West Singhbhum and Seraikela Kharswan have been asked to beef up the security and keep a vigil at the bordering areas.
“A strict vigil would be kept on the non government commercial establishments. Even the security would be beefed up at some of the naxal prone areas of Ghatshila and Dumaria,” said the official.
According to intelligence sources, the rebels are trying to observe the martyr week by organising small meetings at a number of places in West Singhbhum and adjoining Seraikela-Kharsawan district, and Chowka jungle is one of the probable venues for such meetings.
The CPI (Maoist) rebels have resorted to a massive poster campaign at Chowka in the adjoining Seraikela-Kharsawan district as part of the martyrs’ week. Concerned over the situation the police and para military forces have started combing operations in that area.