Naxals attack going hi-tech, likely to witness more violence in Jharkhand & neighbouring states

Sanjeev Shekhar


Even as attacks and counter attacks between the Jharkhand Police and Naxalites are on, the state of Jharkhand is all set to witness more violence and arson given the logistics and hi-tech armoury the outfits possessed.

The recovery of the pen grenade and a paper bomb from Maoists in the West Singhbhum district has send alarm bells ringing for the state police machinery. In a major development, the police recovered the pen grenade at the time of conducting raids in the hideouts of the naxals.

“We have recovered the pen grenade from one of the hideouts of the Jharkhand Liberation Tigers (JLT) in the Saranda jungle of West Singhbhum district. The JLT is a banned outfit that is carrying out the operation in the dense forest areas of Saranda,” stated the superintendent of police, Chaibasa, Sudhir Jha.

Disclosing about the precious catch, Sudhir Jha pointed out that the grenade is in the form of a pen and is an improvised explosive device (IED). He said that though the police recovered the device but it needs investigation to assess its impact when exploded.
Asked about its efficiency, the SP said, “Only experts can say anything about its efficiency. We will send the pen grenade to experts for detailed examination.” The recovery of the hi-tech pen grenade can blow a person at a time. This grenade has now compelled the police think-tank to explore the ways for providing safety to the common man, the police informed.

Last month, the police recovered a paper bomb from Jhumra hills of Bokaro district. The explosive is hidden between two sheets of paper and looks like an ordinary file or a children’s storybook. The security personnel found 800 grams of RDX hidden in the recovered paper bomb. Jharkhand police spokesperson R.K. Mallik said, “This is first time that such a bomb has been recovered from the Maoists. Experts are analysing the bomb.” According to sources, the Maoist rebels are already in possession of hi-tech wireless sets capable of tapping communications of security personnel. Rebels also possess weapons like AK-47 rifles and 9-mm pistols among other explosives. Of the 24 districts in Jharkhand, the Maoists are active in 18 districts of the state, while the government puts the figure to around 11 districts only. The sudden spurt in the naxals incidents has started giving sleepless nights to the police, though it’s trying hard to strike bacn and contain such disruptive activities.

In the past seven years, more than 1,000 people, including 614 civilians and 290 security personnel, have been killed in Maoist violence.

Sanjeev Shekhar,
Jounalist/Media Consultant/ PR