'Odisha a model in tackling Naxal menace'

Bhubaneswar: Director General of Police (DGP) Sanjeev Marik today said that anti-Naxal module can be effectively implemented in all the left-wing extremism (LWE)-hit states only through intelligence sharing.

Talking to media after attending a national level workshop on anti-Maoist operations here today, the top cop said over the years Odisha has emerged as a model state in undertaking anti-Red operations.

While praising the combing operations implemented by the Odisha police to tackle Maoism, the DGP said these strategies should be adopted by other states to wipe out the menace.

Senior police officers of nine LWE-hit states including Odisha gathered to discuss ways to tackle Maoist-related problems.

The workshop, organised by the Home Ministry, was chaired by Marik and attended by intelligence heads of Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, Bihar, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Kerala and Bihar.

"There were discussions on successful models being used by the Odisha government in tackling the LWEs," DGP Marik told reporters adding the officers of other states were told on the steps taken by Odisha in successfully controlling the Maoist menace in the past three years.

The meeting was attended by senior officers of the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA), Odisha DGP Sanjiv Marik, additional DGP A K Sarangi, Intelligence ADG Sunil Roy and other top IPS officers.

The MHA had directed the Maoist-affected states to replicate the strategy used by the Odisha Police to deal with the Red rebels, Marik told reporters after the meeting.

"The focus of the meeting was on Intelligence sharing among the Naxal affected states," he said.

Senior officers of Andhra Pradesh and Telangana shared their views through video presentation of their respective strategies, which have helped them combat Maoist menace successfully in their states.

Among others, senior officers of CRPF, BSF and the Intelligence Bureau were present in the meeting.