All-out war against PLFI before puja

RANCHI: The Jharkhand government is planning launch an all-out-war against People's Liberation Front of India (PLFI), identified as the second-biggest internal security threat after CPI (Maoists) in the state, before Durga Puja. Companies of CRPF, Jharkhand Jaguar, and Jharkhand Armed Police are prepared for the operation and will fan out to PLFI-dominated districts before puja.CRPF has until no abstained from operations against non-Maoist groups saying they were not mandated for the same. The operation against PLFI has been approved at a high level meet on Friday.
For the first time, Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) will be involved in operations against non-Maoist rebel groups in the state. Sources said CRPF's Commando Battalion for Resolute Action (CoBRA), considered the best-equipped paramilitary unit in India, could also be a part of the operation. Non-Maoist groups have become a bigger threat than the Maoists in Jharkhand.
S N Pradhan, Jharkhand police spokesperson and IG (special branch), said: "The special green hunt will begin within a week. With the involvement of CRPF and state forces in the dedicated hunt, we are confident of flushing PLFI rebels out of the state."
A splinter group of Maoists formed in 2007, PLFI is a bigger threat than the Reds in Khunti, Simdega and Gumla and other rural parts of the state capital. According to an estimate, PLFI collects over Rs 150 crore annually in 'levies' from locals. "PLFI does not follow any ideology. It exists only for looting and killings," said Ranchi SSP Saket Kumar Singh.
Suspected PLFI rebels have killed 96 persons in Khunti, just 35 km from the state capital, in last 10 months. In Simdega and Gumla districts too people have been falling to PLFI bullets. In the heart of the state capital, PLFI rebels had killed a businessman Sushil Kejriwal in a botched extortion bid. Lapung, Bedo and other rural areas of Ranchi also witness frequent killings by PLFI rebels.
Operation Green Hunt, which began in Jharkhand in 2010, has put the once-dominant Maoists on the back foot. While many of their top leaders surrendered, several high profile politburo members like Ravi Sharma, Amitabh Bagchi and Misir Besra have been since arrested. Its supreme commander Kishenji was shot dead last year. CRPF IG M V Rao did not comment on the success of the operation against Maoists. DGP Rath, however, said that the Maoists' dominance has diminished significantly.