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Huge investments on ops against Maoists continue in Karnataka
Questions are now being raised by officers within the department as the state continues to make large investments in ANF, even though there hasn’t been a single serious encounter between the Maoists and forces. Karnataka is also not part of the home ministry’s list of Maoist-affected states.
The Karnataka government continues to spend over ₹7 crore a year and deploy 500 policemen to the Anti-Naxal Force (ANF), despite just five known Maoists in the state, who, according to the intelligence department, moved to Kerala.
Questions are now being raised by officers within the department as the state continues to make large investments in the force, even though there hasn’t been a single major encounter between the Maoists and forces. Karnataka is also not in the home ministry’s list of Maoist-affected states.
The two latest deaths associated with the ANF are of a constable dying in friendly fire and a civilian killed by the ANF in a case of mistaken identity.
Even though there is an opinion within the department to reduce the allocation to the force, it continues to remain a white elephant in the state police, say officials of the intelligence department.
Since 2010, the government inducted 1,127 officers of the rank of ASI and above while it hired 1,540 head constables and constables. However, of these, the ANF has now relieved 2,263 staff, leaving the unit with 578 members. “There are only five suspected Maoists currently operating in the state -- Vikas Gowda, BG Krishnamurthy, Mundagaru Latha, Vanajakshi, and Angadi Pradeep. We have been tracking their movement for years now, and we are certain that all of them have moved to Kerala, specifically to the Wayanad district. One of the reasons is that the terrain of Karnataka jungles is not conducive for staying,” said a senior intelligence department official.
Despite this, there are no plans on the cards to dismantle or reduce the strength of the department, Karnataka police DG and IGP Praveen Sood said.
Sood said that even though the number of Maoists is low, the force remains an important part. “I don’t agree with the argument that ANF is a white elephant. Yes, we have a handful of the Maoists in the state. But it is important to understand that the job of these units is not to hunt the Maoists but to deny them territory,” said Sood.
Explaining his rationale, the police chief said that even though there are not many Maoists in operating the forests of Karnataka, it is important to police presence through patrolling it maintained. “We are aware that our neighbours have Maoist problem and parts of Kerala make a red corridor that connects these states. So we have to conduct area denial operations to ensure, Maoists are not allowed to operate in these areas. We need large manpower to cover these large areas,” said Sood. ST Ramesh, former Karnataka DG and IGP, said that while the state government could look to reallocate some resources, dismantling a unit like ANF is not practical.
“If you ask me, I would say more focus should be on core policing. That is maintaining law and order and crime prevention. Now duties such as anti-Maoist operations are not a priority in a state like Karnataka. But neglecting these duties wouldn’t be wise,” he said. The officer added that the state was a hotbed for Maoist activities in the past. “One of the reasons why there is a lull now is the police action over the years. But I also believe that more than just having units like ANF, an effort should be made to strengthen policing and police stations in these regions to give more confidence to people,” he said.
