Beware! Maoists focus on recruiting urban youth

Also, the recruits were given training in using advanced technology.
Image used for representational purpose only.
Image used for representational purpose only.

VIJAYAWADA: At a time when the State police are claiming that the Maoists will be wiped out from the State in the next two years, the sympathisers and sister organisations of the Communist Party of India (Maoists) seem to have focused on recruiting young bloods from urban areas. 

In the past, Maoist recruitment was focussed on the remote villages and forest areas and most of the recruits were tribals, school and college dropouts and farmers. Police claim that Maoist sympathisers and affiliated organisations are looking for urban and intellectual young recruits now. 

According to police, these sympathisers have already recruited 60 people, all under 25 years.  With the top leadership and central committee members becoming old and suffering from various health issues, the organisation is taking up intensive recruitment drive to fill the gap. Luring youth with money and in the name of caste, the recruiters are allegedly planting extremist ideologies in their young minds. 

“The Maoists central committee members Akkiraju Haragopal alias Ramakrishna alias RK, Gajarla Ravi alias Uday and Chalapathi alias Appa Rao are old and finding it difficult to participate in ground-level operations. To replace the lost cadre, they might have recruiting the youngsters. However, we are monitoring their activities,” said a senior police official.

On October 12, the security forces, who were conducting combing operations on the Andhra-Odisha Border, killed a woman Maoist identified as Nidigonda Prameela alias Meena at Andrapalli village and arrested four others. The all four — Jayanthi alias Anjana, Radhika Golluri, Sumala alias Geetha and Rajasekhar Karma— hailing from Jantri village of Odisha are under 20 years.  

“After Maoists lost 24 key members, including 11 women in the 2016 encounter, they disappeared and came back by killing two leaders to show their strength. During the period, they  recruited people from Odisha. They are in a hurry to strengthen the cadre base as early as possible before the police attack them,” the official opined. As a part of recruitment, various leaf organisations of CPI(M) took the responsibility of adding young blood to work for them as courier boys, informers and sleeper cell members.

Also, the recruits were given training in using advanced technology. “Their outer network were destroyed and it needs to be rebuilt. Lecturers, sympathisers, and surrendered Maoists will take the responsibility. The recruiters identify the like-minded people, encourage them and inject their ideas by brainwashing them,” the official explained.

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