C'garh: Security up as naxals observe 'foundation week'

Security in the naxal-affected region of Chhattisgarh has been stepped up as Maoists are observing 'foundation week' from today, police officials said.
"Security has been beefed up in the forest interiors of naxal-hit districts, particularly of Bastar division, as the Communist Party of India (Maoist) is observing martyrs' week from September 21 to 27," a senior police official told PTI here today.
"Combing operations have been intensified in the areas nearby police stations, check posts, security forces' camps, government establishments, besides border areas in southern Chhattisgarh," the official added.
The naxals had allegedly distributed pamphlets and put up posters in many pockets comprising seven districts- Dantewada, Bijapur, Bastar, Narayanpur, Kondagaon, Sukma and Kanker- appealing its cadres to observe foundation day of CPI (Maoist) on September 21 and subsequently observe week-long programmes in the interiors.

According to the official, Maoist Communist Centre (MCC) and People's War Group (PWG) merged to form CPI (Maoist) on September 21 in 2004 and since then they have been observing foundation week during this period.
Security personnel have been told to closely monitor rallies and public gathering reported to be organised during this period in remote areas to instigate the people against political parties in the poll bound state, the official said.

"Although security has always been maintained at top level in the entire Bastar, considered as stronghold of ultras," he added.
So far, no untoward incident has been reported from the southern region.

Naxals have not even appealed any kind of bandh in their pamphlets and posters, the official said.
The railways, too, have decided not to run the passenger train between Vishakhapatnam to Kirandul beyond Jagdalpur fearing Maoist attack in the region, thereby forcing the commuters to travel by bus from Jagdalpur to Kirandul.
"The passenger train will not go beyond Jagdalpur while goods rain will be run only during daytime," a railway official said.