Ranchi: The CPI(Maoist), on the backfoot after prolonged operations in Saranda forest in Jharkhand’s West Singhbhum district, is planning to strengthen itself with tie-ups with insurgent groups in the Northeast.
A letter sent to 13 states, including Jharkhand, by the Union Ministry of Home Affairs on Maoist efforts to expand to new areas said that they planned to strengthen their Eastern Regional Bureau which was guiding the movement in all the states of the eastern region.
“… The North-East is another region where the CPI (Maoist) is trying to spread its wings … with the objectives include strengthening the outfit’s Eastern Regional Bureau, procurement of arms/ammunition/communication equipment,” the six-page letter said.
It noted that the CPI-Maoist had developed close relationship with the Manipur-based People’s Liberation Army, which was not only in a position to procure weapons from foreign sources, but had also provided training to Maoist cadres.
The NSCN (I/M) also appeared to have been used for training to the rebels, it said.
The letter, however, said it would not be easy for the Maoists to establish themselves in the the Northeast abounding in ethnicity based militias, but they could use their ‘theoretical support’ to ‘nationalities’ and to gain a foothold in the region and forge relationships with ethnic militant groups.
The Maoists presence was first noticed in Assam in 2006 with the ultras targeting the ‘existing political movements’, the letter said.
It estimated that the banned Maoist outfit had around one hundred cadres, including 25 to 30 armed, in Assam and with Mahesh, a Central Committee member from the Rabha community appearing to be in charge.
Quoting the Assam Police, the letter said 23 of the 79 police stations in Tinsukia, Dibrugarh, Sibsagar, Dhemaji and Lakhmipur districts in Assam were affected by Left-wing extremism with cadres extorting small tea gardens, cattle-rearing farms and individuals to sustain itself.
“… the Maoists have done some ground-work in the tea garden areas where a local Maoist leader, Aditya Borah, is at the forefront of efforts to recruit Adivasis in Dibrugarh and Tinsukia districts,” the letter said.
Some recently arrested Adivasi Tiger Force militants revealed that they had close links with Borah and that Maoists from West Bengal were providing ideological training to Adivasi youth, the letter said.
Earlier, the prolonged anti-Maoist drive in Saranda forest carried out in July, 2011 had ‘substantially disturbed’ the Maoists with 33 hardcore cadres arrested and a huge number of weapons, ammunition and other logistics seized. (PTI)
