ROURKELA: Director General of Police Kunwar Brajesh Singh reviewed the anti-Maoist operation in Western Range (WR) during his one-day tour of the district on Sunday.
With the Muslim festival of Muharram falling on October 12, a day after Dussera, the DGP took stock of the law and order preparedness for the two festivals in Western Range comprising Rourkela, Sundargarh and Keonjhar police districts.
Singh was accompanied by Director (Intelligence) Sunil Roy and IGP (Operation) RP Koche.
At Rourkela District Police Headquarters, the DGP reviewed the Maoist scenario along Odisha-Jharkhand border amid intelligence input that few senior Maoist leaders are camping in Jharkhand forest. The DGP lauded the efforts of Rourkela police in destroying three Maoist camps after exchange of fire between June end and early July, gunning down of two cadres of Jharkhand-based PLFI by Rourkela police and seizures of arms and ammunition from a PLFI hideout by Sundargarh police recently.
Rourkela-based IGP (WR) RK Sharma briefed the DGP about measures taken for traffic and crowd management along with maintaining law and order during the two festivals.
The preparations for Muharram gains importance after the communal tension that erupted during immersion procession of Ganesh idols last month. Sharma informed the DGP that 45 persons were arrested in connection with the incident and necessary steps taken to prevent reoccurrence of same situation with strict vigil on mischief mongers.
Among others, Rourkela SP Anirudh Singh, Sundargarh SP Nikhil Kanodia and Keonjhar SP Rajesh Pandit, Superintendent of Railway Police KS Kanwar, CRPF commandants of Rourkela and Keonjhar and 4th OSAP Battalion commandant of Rourkela were also present.