Naxal-hit Bihar and Jharkhand districts reclaimed: CRPF DG

Districts in Bihar and Jharkhand, which were once dominated by Naxals, have been 'reclaimed' while development work in the Maoist stronghold of Chhattisgarh is on fast track, said Director General of CRPF, Kuldiep Singh describing the force's recent successes against Left Wing Extremists (LWE) in Bihar and Jharkhand.

Speaking at a press conference, Singh said, "Burha Pahar in Jharkhand, which was a Naxal-dominated area, has been freed from Naxals. Forces were sent there with the help of MI-17 helicopters. The area was under the control of Naxals for the past 32 years. A permanent camp has been established there for the forces which was done under three different operations."

Meanwhile, Union home minister Amit Shah tweeted said that the security forces have achieved commendable success. "As a result of PM Modi's zero tolerance policy against LWE, for the first time by entering the 'Burha Pahar' situated at the border of Chhattisgarh and Jharkhand and the extremely inaccessible areas of Chakrabandha and Bhimabandh of Bihar, permanent security forces camps have been set up. All these areas were strongholds of top Maoists and a huge quantity of arms, ammunition, foreign grenades, aero bombs and IEDs were recovered," Shah said.


He said a special strategy is being adopted against LWE from 2019. The coordinated efforts and campaigns of the Central and State Security Forces and related agencies have led to the success in the fight against Naxals. Singh said the operations were code named 'Operation Octopus', 'Operation Thunderstorm' and 'Operation Bulbul,' and were launched in April this year."

He added, "We ran various operations in different states including Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand and Madhya Pradesh. A total of 578 Maoists were apprehended and many surrendered including 36 from Bihar, 414 from Chhattisgarh, 110 from Jharkhand and 18 from Maharashtra."