ROURKELA: In a fresh challenge to Rourkela police, the outlawed CPI (Maoist) has renewed activities in the adjacent Naxal hotbed of Saranda forest of Jharkhand. All bordering police stations of Rourkela are on high alert and even carrying out continuous area domination operations as the banned outfit’s eastern regional command will observe the 21st anniversary of the formation of the People’s Liberation Guerrilla Army (PLGA) from December 3 for a week.
After a lull, Maoist activities have increased in Saranda forest, much to the headache of the security forces in Jharkhand’s West Singhbhum district and their counterparts in Rourkela. Sources said on Saturday, posters and banners were found in Saranda’s Chhota Nagra police limits, around 20 km from Sundargarh’s Jareikela border.
The posters and banners read, ‘take a lesson from achievements and success of the two decades of people’s war, ‘establish people’s rule overthrowing the enemy rule’, ‘oppose drone attack in Dandakaranya and deployment of Indian army’ and ‘strengthen people’s fight against Hindu fascism’.
Earlier, after arrest of the outfit’s Politburo member and top leader Prashant Bose alias Kisan Da (75) and wife Sheela Marandi alias Sobha, also a top Maoist cadre, on November 11 in Sareikela of Jharkhand, the rebels blew up railway tracks on the Howrah-Mumbai main line between Lotapahar and Sonua stations of the neighbouring State late in the night on November 19.
Sources said Kisan Da’s arrest was a minor setback for the Maoists in the region as another top leader Misir Besra alias Sagar is leading the rebels in the vast Saranda and other areas of Jharkhand. According to Jharkhand police, Misir is the only Politburo member of the outfit after Kisan Da to carry a reward of `1 crore on his head.
Rourkela SP Mukesh K Bhamoo said all eight border police stations of Bonai sub-division along with Bisra and Lathikata near Saranda are on high alert. Area domination operations are underway in strategic forest locations along with continuous intelligence sharing with Jharkhand police.