New Delhi: Tuesday’s lethal Naxal attack in which 16 persons were killed in Jiram Ghati in Bastar could have been much worse as the Maoists adopted a new modus operandi this time around of launching simultaneous attacks on security forces at multiple locations.
The attacks were to be carried out at three locations at the same time at Jiram Ghati and police camps in Burkapal and Dornapal.
Fortunately, due to the lack of complete co-ordination between the different Naxal groups, the simultaneous attacks could not be carried out. The police camps in Burkapal and Dornapal were hit only in the evening. These attacks were not very lethal.
These details have been elaborated in a Situation Report submitted by the IB to home minister on Wednesday.
According to the report, the attack was part of a meticulous planning that took about a month to strategise as is revealed by the fact that the Naxals had cordoned off nearly a kilometre wide area to inflict maximum damage.
“It seems the thick vegetation on both sides of the NH 30 in which the Naxals were hiding was allowed to grow deliberately to provide cover. Thus, the Naxals managed to fire on the security personnel from very close range. Fortunately about a dozen IEDs could not detonate,” the report states. It also said that women maoists played a crucial role in the operation.
Meanwhile, the CPI (Maoist) has called upon its cadres to focus on an “urban push” with its top central committee adopting a resolution where the outlaws have yet again decided to move towards cities by creating new forces in towns. The outfit has decided to “enter the people’s struggles erupting spontaneously all over the country in favour of a revolution” by taking up daily issues of the people to gain new forces. “We should not confine (ourselves) to illegal and secret activities, and utilise united front activities, open and legal struggle and organisational forms to rally vast masses such as students, youth, employees and other petty bourgeois sections and various oppressed social sections (sic),” it said.
