'Naxals' offer a diversionary tactic to regroup'

New Delhi, Mar 8: Terming the ceasefire offer by the Maoists as a strategic tactic, some senior police personnels in Naxal-hit regions expressed fear the naxals would make use of the ceasefire agreement to re-group and re-arm themselves.

"The top brass of Maoists is controlled by People's War Group (PWG), who were actually trained by LTTE. So, on the lines of a strategic retreat, they are buying time to re-build, equip themselves better, increase their cadres and replenish resources," an Intelligence Bureau source said in a news agency report.

Expressing concern over the offer, VD Ram, former DGP, Jharkhand said that the Maoists was showing interest in holding talks to evade arrest.

"Ceasefire talks will never be a welcome step. Naxals want to avoid encounters in the months of February, March and April when trees shed their leaves and it becomes difficult to stay hidden in the hills," he says.

"The Maoists are suffering from a financial crunch since police were able to strangulate their fund supply from businessmen operating in Jhargram in West Bengal, and parts of Bihar and Jharkhand," he adds.

An IPS officer in Chhattisgarh said that the success of Special Task Force and intelligence agencies in arresting top leaders like Telugu Deepak with the help of human intelligence network has created fear in the Maoists.

"Naxals believe in the policy of overthrowing the government. They want talks because in the last seven to eight months they were under tremendous pressure from the offensive by security forces," he said.

Subodh Prasad, SP, Lohardaga, Jharkhand said that the Maoists were making attempts to repairrelations.

"Recently Maoists pasted posters around the city, portraying bonhomie between policemen and Naxals. It reads, "Police-Naxals bhai bhai", Prasad said.

Similar apprehensions towards the ceasefire offer by the Maoists were seen in other districts like Hazaribagh and Simdega.

"They want to replicate what they did in Andhra Pradesh. A ceasefire will give them time to raise fund and recruit fighters," says a senior IPS officer in Hazaribagh.

OneIndia News