Special Home Ministry meeting today to “review” activities of Maoist frontal organisations

The Union Home Ministry has called a special meeting on January 9 with state police officers from Maoist-affected states. The meeting, which will be chaired by the additional director of the Intelligence Bureau, has been convened for “reviewing” activities of frontal or mass organisations of the Communist party of India (Maoist).

A source who is in the know of this meeting said that the review is to make sure that the activities of such organisations do not end up being a catalyst in furthering the Maoist cause, especially now that the deadline for the erasure of Maoist insurgency set by Home Minister Amit Shah as March 31 is close.

In the past few months, scores of top Maoist leaders have either been killed or they have surrendered. This year, the anti-Maoist operations continued even during the monsoon, which, police sources in Bastar, Chhattisgarh, say have shown great results. “After the killing of their general-secretary and the surrender of leaders like Sonu (Mallojula Venugopal Rao), the sun has finally set on the Maoist movement,” said a senior police officer in Chhattisgarh. The January 9 meeting will also devise “appropriate strategies” for collecting prosecutable evidence against such organisations, said a source. All states affected by left-wing extremist have delegated their officers for the meeting, he said.