'Spectacular strikes' planned to disrupt polls

The Maoists, in a carefully-planned strategy, have decided to disrupt the upcoming Lok Sabha polls by carrying out spectacular strikes on security forces and political leaders.

The Maoists, in a carefully-planned strategy, have decided to disrupt the upcoming Lok Sabha polls by carrying out spectacular strikes on security forces and political leaders. Tuesday’s attack on the CRPF party was part of the same plan, security sources told HT.

“They have devised a two-pronged strategy to disrupt the upcoming polls, a trend witnessed in the 2004 and 2009 Lok Sabha elections as well. At the political level, the outfit is running an election boycott campaign and on the military front it will target political leaders and security forces,” said a Union home ministry official requesting anonymity.

The home ministry on February 17 had sent a warning to all Maoists-affected states – Andhra, Bihar, Chhattisgarh, Bihar, Jharkhand, Maharashtra, Odisha, Madhya Pradesh – that the outfit has directed its cadre to make all logistical arrangements including collecting explosives for actions. Their plan was to target vehicles carrying political leaders and ambushing security forces.

In Sukma district, where Tuesday’s attack took place, the Maoists were threatening villagers against voting in the polls.

GVK Prasad alias Gudsa Usendi, one of their top leaders and propaganda secretary of Dandakaranya Special Zonal Committee who surrendered on January 7, had told interrogators that Maoists planned to take advantage of the rather thin and dispersed deployment of security forces during the polls.

The ministry had advised security forces to strictly comply with security drills and road opening parties should remain alert to avoid any untoward incident.