Maoists fail in A.P., though successful in other States

With police maintaining continuous pressure, they move to other States

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Maoists snatched 529 arms in two years in other States killing 392 security personnel

The Andhra Police have seized 201 weapons this year alone, besides 250 rockets

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HYDERABAD: It's like watching the two ends of a spectrum. If the Maoist movement appears to be advancing unbridled in Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, Bihar and Orissa, it's the reverse scenario in Andhra Pradesh.

If the Maoists have succeeded in involving 'People's Militia'(people who are involved in full time revolutionary activity) in raids conducted in towns in other states, in Andhra Pradesh, it's the police which conduct raids in interior forest areas, which were hitherto billed as 'Red-bastions'.

Seizure of arms

The Maoists have snatched 529 weapons during the last two years all over the country after killing 392 personnel of the security forces, according to a latest Maoist document. The statistics with the Andhra Pradesh police too are eye-openers. The Andhra Police have seized 201 weapons this year alone, not to speak of about 250 rockets in battle-ready condition and rocket components which could make another 200 rockets, if assembled. That would mean that Andhra had reclaimed close to 40 per cent of the weapons lost in other States, if not the same weapons.

People's role crucial

Crucial to success of both the police and the naxalites is one component, that of people's participation. Naxalites have been involving general public, called 'People's Militia' in their surprise attacks in urban centres in other States. A raid on home guards training centre in Giridh, Jharkhand, yielded them 190 weapons in November 2005; R. Udayagiri town raid in Orissa in March 2006 (33 automatic weapons looted0; 18 weapons were lost in Jashpur raid in Chhattisgarh in February 2006 (18 weapons).

Precisely, it's this people's participation in the counter-ops, which helped Andhra Pradesh police unearth the arms dumps.

With relentless pressure being maintained, Maoists cadres have moved away to neighbouring states and obviously, they cannot carry their weapons.

These weapons, neatly greased and packed, are stored in plastic drums and buried in interior areas. Invariably, the police continue to get information about the dumps and seizure of weapons and explosives has continued with unfailing regularity.

In Mahabubnagar district alone, the police have seized 50 weapons, including automatic weapons like Kalshnikov rifles, SLRs and carbines, when they unearthed nearly two dozen dumps in Nallamala forests. 32 weapons were seized in Guntur district in addition to 600 rocket launchers, 50 anti-personnel pressure activated mines and 50 landmines. In Prakasam, 14 weapons have been seized followed by seven in Nalgonda this year.

http://www.hindu.com/2007/11/01/stories/2007110153790400.htm