New Delhi: Catch the big fish. This was a clear message from Union Home Minister P Chidambaram to about 30 Superintendents of Police serving in Naxal-hit areas.
In a unique measure to educate the SPs about the Centre's policy on tackling Left-wing extremism, Union Home Ministry had organised a day-long workshop for them during which they were apprised of the issue by senior officials of the Ministry as well as Intelligence Bureau.
Sources privy to the meeting said that the Home Minister
listened to the problems of the police officials and advised
them to generate intelligence in nabbing the top brass of
Naxals who have been eluding law for long.
During the meeting, some of the SPs from Bihar talked
about the force crunch being faced by them in their districts
to which Chidambaram told them that they should ask for
reinforcement from their state as the Centre had kept enough
paramilitary forces at the disposal of the state government.
Some SPs expressed the need for more anti-Naxal
operations, to which the Home Minister said that they should
do it and also make sure that big fishes are caught.
The SPs were asked to ensure more involvement of locals
in the development work which would help them in isolating the
Naxalites, the sources said.
The exercise of calling SPs was also undertaken as they
would be exchanging their notes and experiences in tackling
the Naxal movement. It would also ensure cooperation and
blocking the Naxal movement from spreading from one state to
the another.
PTI
First Published: Friday, August 26, 2011, 21:58