The Union Home Ministry has asked Naxal-affected states of Andhra Pradesh, Bihar, Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh, Maharashtra, Odisha and West Bengal to ensure impregnable security of their prisons where Maoists leaders are lodged.
The advisory to the states has pointed out that Maoist leaders are worried over the dwindling numbers of armed cadre and may attack vulnerable prisons to rescue top ultra leaders to revive the crippled Naxal movement in the country.
Security forces have recovered a 17-page letter written by CPM top leader Muppalla Lakshmana Rao alias Ganapathy to senior Maoists leaders, where Ganapthy gave two options- bail or jailbreak to rescue top Naxalites.
According to sources, since last couple of years many Maoist leaders are deserting the movement. At least 37 Naxals surrendered in August-September and returned to normal life.
Ganapathy appeared worried in his letter and gave example of Chaibasa jailbreak, Jharkhand in 2011 when three Maoist leaders managed to escape from high security prison by cutting the ventilators of their cells.
Ganapathy said that the jailbreak event was historic as top leaders managed to evade the strict surveillance and intelligence system of the state while escaping from prison. “Jails must be turned into centres of political training and struggle. We hope that all comrades will try to carry on studies with a long-term view, to improve physical fitness, to preserve health, to write and send articles in various forms to the party magazines, to do literary work, to write experiences and send to the party and to well utilise the time in several ways,” Ganapathy wrote. In the last eight months, around 1800 ultras surrendered, maximum in Odisha, followed by Andhra Pradesh and Maharashtra.
Inflicting a solid wound to ultras movement, security forces also managed to arrest around 491 Naxalites.