Chhattisgarh polls: We'll use all tech resources to thwart any bid by Maoists to disrupt elections, says Bastar Police chief

Jagdalpur, Chhattisgarh: Security forces in Bastar will be deploying drones, surveillance cameras, satellite phones, choppers, anti-landmine and bulletproof vehicles to thwart any bid by Maoists to disrupt the forthcoming assembly elections to be held on November 7, Bastar Police chief P Sundarraj told ET.

The forces have been put on high alert in all 12 assembly seats of Bastar in South Chhattisgarh in the backdrop of the banned CPI (Maoist) circulating videos through WhatsApp and pasting posters on trees, calling for a boycott of the poll.

"For the smooth conduct of the election, we will be using all tech resources under our disposal. I won't be able to disclose their total numbers for security reasons," said Sundarraj who is Inspector General of Police of the Bastar range, a 39,000 sq. km area that comprises seven districts - Bastar, Bijapur, Dantewada, Kanker, Kondagaon, Narayanpur, and Sukma.


"CPI (Maoist) has given a boycott call to this assembly election. We suspect they will try to commit some violent incidents in the run-up to the poll. They may try to target security forces, polling parties, political functionaries and even common villagers who are willing to participate in the poll," Sundarraj said.

He however added that between the previous assembly poll of 2018 and now, as many as 65 new camps have been set up in the region with the majority of those being in the Naxal stronghold districts- Sukma, Bijapur and Dantewada.

The Election Commission has decided to shift 80 polling stations to their original villages after assessing the security situation in those areas, he said.

"But we are not underestimating our enemies. With an IED (Improvised Explosive Device) blast, only a handful of cadres are capable of inflicting serious damages. So, we are on toes to minimize such incidents," Sundarraj said, further adding that the security forces have already set up mobile check-posts in inter-state borders in close coordination with their counterparts of Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana and Odisha, the states with whom Bastar shares its border.

"As compared to 2013 assembly elections, the one in 2018 was less violent. We are hopeful of improving the situation this time round. We have identified the hotspots where things might go wrong," he added.

Maoists usually conduct what they call TCOC (Tactical Counter Offensive Campaign) during the summer when they target security forces. But in the election year, as seen in 2018, they shift TCOC to coincide with the poll period. "They have not announced TCOC yet. But we are prepared for it," he said.