Maharashtra (Maoist Insurgency): Timeline (Terrorist Activities) -2010

The Communist Party of India-Maoist (CPI-Maoist)-infested States, including Jharkhand and Maharashtra, have set up a Special Task Force (STF) in their bid to jointly tackle the Maoist problem, Director General of Police of West Bengal Bhupinder Singh told PTI. West Bengal, Bihar, Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh, Orissa, Andhra Pradesh, Maharashtra and some other Maoist-hit States have selected 30 officers for the STF to deal with the Maoist problem, he said. The 30 selected officers had undergone a month-long training programme at Ghatsila in Jharkhand. Some foreign army officials, who have experience in tackling guerrilla warfare, also imparted them training, the Police officer said. Of the 30 officers selected for the task force, four are from West Bengal, the officer said, adding, "The force would be named soon and it will be pressed into action as and when the training programme is completed." Read less...

Two top Communist Party of India-Maoist (CPI-Maoist) cadres were arrested along with arms and explosives in a joint operation by Police and the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) in the Gadchiroli District, Police said on January 10, PTI reported. Sukhdev Yeshu Tumroti (31) and Shankar Parad Gawade (30) were arrested from Pomke village on January 9, Police added. 20 kilograms of explosives, six 12-bore rifles, one locally made pistol and over a dozen cartridges, among other things, were seized from the duo. Read less...

This is the second murder by Maoists in last five days by slitting throats in the District. On January 10, forest guard Saidas Chichghare and security guard Gautam Durge, were found dead with their throats slit in a nullah near Garanji village of the same District. Read less...

ANI reported that the Communist Party of India-Maoist (CPI-Maoist) cadres killed a tribal in the Gadchiroli District late in the evening of January 14. The Maoists killed 29-year-old Rajesh Manglu Pungati at Bandia village by slitting his throat. Read less...

The Communist Party of India-Maoist (CPI-Maoist) now has developed the expertise to clone sophisticated weapons, including assault rifles of AK series, according to Times of India. Security agencies came across the Maoists’ innovative skills when a Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) team neutralized an arms manufacturing unit in the forests close to Gobardaha village in the Chatra District of Jharkhand and recovered a number of ‘duplicate’ AK-47 and AK-57 rifles of “high standard”. The CRPF also seized as many as 59 different types of instruments, which were used to manufacture and assemble these rifles and various types of pistols. An unnamed official said, “Though Security Forces have busted other arms manufacturing units of the Maoists in Chhattisgarh, Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh and Andhra Pradesh in the past, they have for the first time come across such sophisticated weapons of high standard, manufactured by the ultras.” The first big arms manufacturing unit of the Maoists was neutralized by Andhra Pradesh Police in 2006 when they recovered a huge stock of rocket shells and launchers in the State. Probe later revealed that the Maoist’s ‘technical wing’ designed the launchers and initially made them at a foundry in Chennai. Read less...

The Maharashtra Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) on January 19 said a suspected Naxalite (left wing extremist), identified as Surya Devra Prabhakar, was arrested at his residence in Mumbai in the night of January 18, reports The Hindu. He has been remanded to custody. The ATS recovered “one bag containing objectionable literature of CPI-Maoist [Communist Party of India-Maoist (CPI-Maoist)] and PWG [People’s War Group].” One CPU [central processing unit], one pen drive, a mobile phone and other materials were also recovered. “He was also found in possession of an election card and a Central Railway pass bearing his photograph but both these cards bore the name of Bharat Raman Gandhi,” an ATS press note said. “During preliminary interrogation, Surya admitted his connection with the banned CPI-Maoist organisation,” the note said. Prabhakar also said he had been associated with the PWG since 1978. “He is a key person who played an important role in deciding policies of the organisation in the region. He used to frequently change names and residences and has worked in Gujarat and Chhattisgarh as well,” ATS chief K. P. Raghuvanshi told Mumbai Mirror. In Mumbai, Suryadevra allegedly worked along with another state committee member Vernon Gonsalves, who was arrested in 2007. “Vernon and Suryadevra were assigned the job of expanding CPI-Maoist activities in the tribal areas around Surat in Gujarat, and Dhulia District in Maharashtra. Suryadevra also supervised activities of the Gondia-Balaghat armed division of CPI-Maoist,” an unnamed ATS officer said. Suryadevra, ATS has claimed, was allegedly involved in the Naxalite violence witnessed in north Gadchiroli District 2009 Assembly polls. Read less...

The Union Government has promised the State five more battalions of Central Paramilitary Forces and two helicopters for anti-Maoist operations, reports Telegraph. Union home minister P. Chidambaram announced this at a meeting with the Chief Ministers of three Maoist-affected states - Orissa, Chhattisgarh and Maharashtra - in Raipur. Read less...

Six cadres of the Communist Party of India-Maoist (CPI-Maoist) allegedly involved in the killing of 16 Police personnel in Gadchiroli District in 2009, surrendered before State Home Minster R. R. Patil at Gadchiroli on January 25, reported ANI. They were identified as ‘Platoon Commander’ Tulasa alias Raju Juru Masavedea (28), Saimmaiya alias Kiran Barsagade (27), a cadre of Perimili Dalam, Anil Bajirao Wasame (20) from Bhambragarh Dalam, Jamuna alias Shevanti Kowase (20) of Bhamragarh Dalam, Kamla Usendi (20) and N. Rajkumar Veeru Parchaki (19), a Gram Rakshak Dal (GRD) cadre of Tippagarh Dalam from Chhattisgarh, added PTI. Read less...

Maharashtra home department has proposed compulsory two years’ services of the Government officials in Communist Party of India-Maoist (CPI-Maoist)-infested areas, taking serious cognizance of their reluctant attitude to work there, reported DNA. "We have proposed to the chief minister that two years service there should be made compulsory for class I and II officials in the initial period," Home Minister R.R. Patil said. About 30 percent posts of the officials are vacant in Gadchiroli District and officials do not prefer going to the area due to security reasons. "Six Naxals surrendered to the police on the Republic Day and we hope that more would join them," Patil said. The Government would also recruit 2,300 Police Force especially for the security of the District, he added. Read less...

Times of India added that the rewards announced to Policemen, including those in the strike force of C-60 commando unit, have not been paid for last four years. The total sum on this count which has piled up to INR 1.5 crore remains to be disbursed for want of funds. This matter came to the fore when a C-60 commando raised it before State Home Minister R. R. Patil, who is also guardian minister of Gadchiroli District. Read less...