Anti-Naxal operation to intensify in red zone

Home Secretary said many innocent lives were lost despite they were not in the hit-list of the Naxalites

The Union Government on Tuesday gave overt signal that the operation against the Naxalites active in a few states in the country would be intensified.

The development comes in the backdrop of Sukma incident in which the Naxalites ambushed the convoy of Congress leaders and killed State Party Chief Nand Kumar Patel, former leader of opposition Mahendra Karma and 27 others. Thirty-two persons including former union minister Vidyacharan Shukla had received serious injuries.

“The anti-Naxal operations would be intensified and the affected regions would be powered with more security forces and modern weapons,” Union Home Secretary R K Singh on Tuesday said. He landed here Tuesday morning to chair a high meeting convened to take stock of Sukma incident.

“The Centre would coordinate with the Naxal-hit states adjoining Chhattisgarh and would provide additional forces and modern weapons to combat the red army," Singh told reporters here Tuesday afternoon.

Reacting to the press note issued by the Naxalites in regretting the killing of some innocent people in the ambush, Singh said many innocent lives were lost despite they were not in the hit-list of the Naxalites.

The Union Home Secretary categorically ruled out the need to deploy army for combating the Left insurgent. “Instead, we would strengthen the force and modernise it with sophisticated weapons,” Singh said.