CRPF chief visit raises hopes of anti-Naxalite operations in Saranda

RANCHI: CRPF director general K Vijay Kumar visited the frontal post at Lodhai village in Sonua police station to boost the morale of jawans in an indication that security forces are gearing up to launch a major operation against the Maoists in the Saranda forest.
The visit came in the backdrop of security forces destroying the headquarters of Koel Sankh zone of the Maoists in Latehar.
During his visit on Saturday, Kumar interacted with the jawans and heard their problems. "Several operational plans were discussed with senior officers of police and the CRPF," said a CRPF officer, who was present in the meeting.
The CRPF DG also reviewed the operations carried out in the dense forest, considered to be the stronghold of the Maoists, and gave some important suggestion. "Last month, security forces had made a major breakthrough by busting three rebel camps and seizing over 200kg explosives in the Saranda forest," said the officer.
Hours after CRPF DG left the Saranda forest for another meeting with officials at Hazaribag during his two-day visit, an operation was launched at Podahat area of West Singhbhum district, also a Naxalite-hit area.
West Singhbhum SP Arun Kumar Singh said the operation was launched launched in the Podahat area since Saturday midnight. The CRPF DG chaired a meeting with senior officials and discussed operational plans in the Saranda forest," said Singh.
Currently, the CRPF has set up 10 camps in the forest to take on the rebels. "Area domination and sanitization operations are carried out every now and then in the forest based on specific intelligence inputs," said the West Singhbhum SP.
Police sources, however, said the visit of the CRPF DG at a frontal post in the Saranda forest was itself an indication that a major anti-Naxalite operation was in offing. "Even Latehar operation was carried out after CRPF DG paid a visit to the frontal post at Labhor village in the dense Garu forest of Latehar district," said a police officer.
After three days of operation carried out in Latehar on July 6, security forces had managed to bust the headquarters of Koel Sankh zone of Maoists and recover huge cache of explosives and chemicals used in making IEDs.