Centre watching situation in AP-Orissa after Naxal attack

New Delhi, Jun 30 (UNI) The Centre has provided all necessary assistance to the Andhra Pradesh and Orissa governments and coordinated evacuation of injured policemen following the Naxal attack which left 38 elite policemen 'grey hounds' missing.

The Union Home Ministry is in touch with both the state governments after the incident. High-level meetings were held at the ministry to discuss the situation arising out of Naxal attacks on elite grey. The killing of a DSP and three policemen in Jharkhand in landmine blast by the Naxals also came into focus.

The spurt in naxal violence in various parts of the country has left the security experts worried who are now devising effective measures to curb the menace.

The Andhra Pradesh government has already announced a high-level departmental inquiry into the deadly Maoist attack on policemen in AP-Orissa border, even as a massive search operation has been launched to trace the 37 missing commandos.

A massive search operation has been launched with the help of six helicopters of Army, Navy and ONGC and divers to trace the missing personnel.

More than 24 hours after the dare-devil attack on the launch carrying 64 policemen at Balimela reservoir in Malkangiri district of Orissa, bordering AP, as many as 37 personnel remained missing.

Eight Greyhounds personnel were admitted to a hospital in Visakhapatnam and all of them were out of danger, doctors attending on them said.

It was the biggest strike by Maoists in recent times as policemen returning from the dense forests at AP-Orissa after a combing operation came under fire and the launch capsized leading to the tragedy.

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