An estimated 650 Maoist guerrillas have crossed over from Chhattisgarh’s Bastar forests to West Bengal and Bihar to carry out deadly attacks, intelligence sources said Friday.
The rebels belong to the Maoist People’s Liberation Guerrilla Army (PLGA), the military wing of the outlawed Communist Party of India-Maoist (CPI-Maoist), the sources said.
The PLGA has sneaked into West Bengal and Bihar in recent weeks as their headquarters in Bastar has seen a massive deployment of paramilitary troops, a source in the state’s intelligence wing told IANS.
“They would open new war zones in West Bengal and Bihar,” the source said.
Maoists carried out a daring attack on a security force camp in Shilda in West Bengal Monday, killing 24 Eastern Frontier Rifles (EFR) troopers and a civilian.
The guerrillas Wednesday stormed a village in Bihar’s Jamui district and killed 11 people.
The source said the rebels’ strategy was part of a 20-page policy document unveiled by the CPI-Maoist in June 2009.
The document, ‘Post-Election Situation, Our Tasks’, outlines how and where the Maoists need to step up attacks.
The source added that the PLGA cadres had access to rocket launchers and mortars.
“Since their (PLGA) bases are encircled by the paramilitary in Chhattisgarh, Maoists will try to carry out frequent killings in other states in order to force the government to relocate the forces from Bastar to other states,” the source said.
