States to prepare top Naxals’ profiles

Aug. 24: The Centre has asked Naxal-affected states to prepare a profile of the top Maoist leaders in order to assist security forces to plan precision attacks against the ultras. The government’s strategy to strike at the helm of the Naxalite movement in the country took a final shape during the CMs conference on internal security on August 17.
A senior home ministry official said that state governments have been asked to prepare a profile of the top leadership of the CPI(Maoist), even as security forces have been asked to target the top Maoist leaders in the first major offensive being launched against Naxalites in the country.
The home ministry on Monday issued advisories to nine Naxal-affected states, in the wake of the bandh called by the CPI(Maoist) in five states in protest against the alleged arrest of two senior members of the outfit. Ministry sources pointed towards intelligence inputs suggesting that Maoists might target important places like Railways, telecom, roads and power stations. The advisory from the Centre came within hours of the Maoists’ blowing up a stretch of railway track in Latehar and a mobile phone tower in Palamau in Jharkhand on Monday morning. Jharkhand, Orissa, Chhattisgarh, Bihar, West Bengal, Andhra Pradesh, Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh have been asked to maintain utmost vigil and beef up security against possible strikes by the Maoists targeting vital installations.
Sharing details of the fresh strategy being drawn to counter the growing threat from LWE, a senior ministry official said: "The states have been asked to profile the top leadership of the Maoists operating in their territory. Each profile should include a picture of the Maoist leader, his level of involvement in the outfit and other details of his activities."
The Central and state police forces have been asked to gather intelligence on Maoist leaders controlling the financial and operational activities of the outfit. "The aim is to target at the root of the Naxal movement. If security forces are successful in cracking down on the CPI(Maoist) politburo and central committee leaders, it will have an adverse impact on their cadres operating at the lower level," the official explained.
Home minister P. Chidambaram said that the government’s response to LWE is "police action’’.