Mysterious outsiders stalk Jharkand jungle :- 13.5.12 - The Pioneer

Nearly 100 Manipuri rebels train, arm Maoist Guerrilas

The sighting of a group had instantly aroused a strong suspicion. And it wasn’t without reasons.

For, the group comprised a large number of persons “with Mongolian features”. To add to it, their movement was spotted deep in the jungle of Jharkhand. Surely, it wasn’t a normal affair. It had much more to it than meets the eye. More so, since the group of the 100-odd “Mongolian-like” persons was moving around in areas where the Maoist writ ruled and in a State, which is now worst affected by Naxalism. A sustained trail followed

There after. And what emerged is now giving sleepless nights to the security agencies.  turned out, the CPI(Maoist)has entered into a tactical alliance with the People’s Liberation Army(PLA) of Manipur. The outlawed out fit of the North-East has joined hands with the banned CPI(Maoist), whom Prime Minister Manmohan Singh considers the biggest threat to internal security. The alliance between the two has been further corroborated after the interrogation of top Naxal commander Amit Bagchi, now undergoing judicial custody in Vizag jail. Bagchi was active in Jharkhand before his arrest. CRPF insiders say the insurgents

were seen moving deep in the jungles of Lather and Palamu districts. They point out that as per the understanding, the CPI(Maoist)has agreed to respect the “sovereignty” of the PLA in Manipur and

the latter will respect the Naxal outfit’s liberation” in the rest of India.“PLA’s trainers from its campsin Myanmar have provided training to the Naxals at different places in the country, including in the forest of Saranda in Jharkhand. The insurgent outfit of the North-East has also been supplying sophisticated weapons to the Naxals in lieu of cash,” the sources inform. Movement in such large numbers suggests the PLA is keenly taking part in the Naxal strategy against the state, they maintain.CPI(Maoist) is spearheading violence across a host of States and is responsible for 95 per cent of the Naxal violence. The alliance is aimed at furthering military training and consolidating supply of weapons, improving tactics and strategies to ensure the Maoist outfit continued to hold sway over the so-called liberated zones. The CPI(Maoist) has been looking at tactical alliance for the last few years with the twin agenda of activities and seeking sophisticated weapons for carrying on their ant-State activities. If the PLA has entered into a new domain outside the North East, the Maoists have made forays

in hitherto uncharted territories. A fact corroborated by the killing of four hardcore CPI(Maoist) in the first-ever

encounter with the Assam Police in Tinsukia district. Apart from its efforts to set up bases in Assam, the Naxal outfit has also been seeking tactical alliances with insurgent outfits in Arunachal Pradesh. Intelligence inputs suggest the outfit has been carrying out over ground activities in insurgency- hit Jammu & Kashmir too besides Punjab.