Huge setback to Maoists, top leader Kishanji shot dead
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NEW DELHI: Security forces zeroed in on the location of top Maoist leader Kishanji with the help from their informants within close quarters of the operational commander in what marks a success of intelligence agencies in penetrating the close-knit extremist outfit and suggests that other top-notch extremists could also be in the crosshairs.
Senior official sources attribute the elimination of Kishanji to 'HumInt' ( human intelligence) network, painstakingly nurtured during the truce they had to observe at West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee's behest.
A note circulated on Tuesday by Intelligence Bureau suggests that the inputs gathered through HumInt (human intelligence) may have helped the officials to map the co-ordinates of several members of the politburo and central committee of the CPI(Maoist). The note mentions the location of Prashanta Bose, the second-in-command of Red ultras, Pulluri Pasada Rao, Ramchandra Reddy, Malla Raji Reddy, Dev Kumar Singh, Akkiraju Hargopal and M Venugopal. Curiously, the paper did not mention the possible whereabouts of Maoist chief Ganapathi and Kishanji.
The note says that the success of counter-insurgency forces, including CRPF, has forced the Maoist leaders to raise their guard. "Efforts to apprehend these leaders have not borne fruit till now since they are changing their locations almost every other day. From their movement, it appears that they are not fully trusting their own cadres. A close watch is being kept".
Intelligence agencies started focusing on developing HumInt after the Maoists, stung by the arrests of their front-ranking leaders like Kobad Ghandy, Pramod Mishra, Naryayan Sanyal and Amitabh Bagchi, stopped using cellphones and began relying only on human couriers.
The IB note says the top Maoist leaders had completely stopped using communication through technical channels (mobile\internet) following arrest of their leaders in the past, and "reverted to depending on traditional channels of human couriers (only party cadres who are most reliable)".
The lull in hostilities, until killing of her cadres jolted Mamata Banerjee out of her belief that Maoists were merely misguided youth who could be brought back to the mainstream, was utilized by the security forces to build up a network of informants among communities who would host the rebels.
The attempt to infiltrate the ranks of Maoists and their sympathizers was helped by the resentment among cadre against the pays and perks of leaders, as well as the sexual exploitation of women extremists by their male comrades.
The note mentions of "serious disquiet among lower cadres of People Liberation Guerilla Army (PLGA) - Maoists' armed unit - against senior leadership in Bihar, Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh, Orissa and West Bengal" - that may help in winning a few to the side of security forces in the past couple of years. It also says how sexual exploitation led many women fighters to surrender and become " informers" in exchange of cash incentives.
The Maoists had sensed this by October and retaliated by killing locals, including some Trinamool workers whom they suspected to be collaborating with security forces. " But, it was too late by then. We could get what we wanted for finally on Thursday", said the official.
Officials here said that the Maoists have suffered serious casualties in the past few years, and are having to do without eight of the 14 original members of their politburo. Besides Kishanji and Azad, who was eliminated by security forces, six politburo members, including Kobad Gandhy, Akhilesh Yadav and Pramod Mishra, are languishing in jail. The strength of the central committee of the CPI( Maoist) has also come down from 38 to 22.
They said the replacement of Kishanji and others who were killed or are in jail was likely to be made by ultras (as per Maoists' tradition) only during their next Congress which is to be held in January-February, 2012. Since all the PB\CC members had been appointed for five years in the last Congress, the outfit may not change the hierarchy except some minor changes for 'operational' reason
Senior official sources attribute the elimination of Kishanji to 'HumInt' ( human intelligence) network, painstakingly nurtured during the truce they had to observe at West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee's behest.
A note circulated on Tuesday by Intelligence Bureau suggests that the inputs gathered through HumInt (human intelligence) may have helped the officials to map the co-ordinates of several members of the politburo and central committee of the CPI(Maoist). The note mentions the location of Prashanta Bose, the second-in-command of Red ultras, Pulluri Pasada Rao, Ramchandra Reddy, Malla Raji Reddy, Dev Kumar Singh, Akkiraju Hargopal and M Venugopal. Curiously, the paper did not mention the possible whereabouts of Maoist chief Ganapathi and Kishanji.
The note says that the success of counter-insurgency forces, including CRPF, has forced the Maoist leaders to raise their guard. "Efforts to apprehend these leaders have not borne fruit till now since they are changing their locations almost every other day. From their movement, it appears that they are not fully trusting their own cadres. A close watch is being kept".
Intelligence agencies started focusing on developing HumInt after the Maoists, stung by the arrests of their front-ranking leaders like Kobad Ghandy, Pramod Mishra, Naryayan Sanyal and Amitabh Bagchi, stopped using cellphones and began relying only on human couriers.
The IB note says the top Maoist leaders had completely stopped using communication through technical channels (mobile\internet) following arrest of their leaders in the past, and "reverted to depending on traditional channels of human couriers (only party cadres who are most reliable)".
The lull in hostilities, until killing of her cadres jolted Mamata Banerjee out of her belief that Maoists were merely misguided youth who could be brought back to the mainstream, was utilized by the security forces to build up a network of informants among communities who would host the rebels.
The attempt to infiltrate the ranks of Maoists and their sympathizers was helped by the resentment among cadre against the pays and perks of leaders, as well as the sexual exploitation of women extremists by their male comrades.
The note mentions of "serious disquiet among lower cadres of People Liberation Guerilla Army (PLGA) - Maoists' armed unit - against senior leadership in Bihar, Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh, Orissa and West Bengal" - that may help in winning a few to the side of security forces in the past couple of years. It also says how sexual exploitation led many women fighters to surrender and become " informers" in exchange of cash incentives.
The Maoists had sensed this by October and retaliated by killing locals, including some Trinamool workers whom they suspected to be collaborating with security forces. " But, it was too late by then. We could get what we wanted for finally on Thursday", said the official.
Officials here said that the Maoists have suffered serious casualties in the past few years, and are having to do without eight of the 14 original members of their politburo. Besides Kishanji and Azad, who was eliminated by security forces, six politburo members, including Kobad Gandhy, Akhilesh Yadav and Pramod Mishra, are languishing in jail. The strength of the central committee of the CPI( Maoist) has also come down from 38 to 22.
They said the replacement of Kishanji and others who were killed or are in jail was likely to be made by ultras (as per Maoists' tradition) only during their next Congress which is to be held in January-February, 2012. Since all the PB\CC members had been appointed for five years in the last Congress, the outfit may not change the hierarchy except some minor changes for 'operational' reason
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