Attack on CRPF part of Naxal call for poll boycott: Centre

Killing of 16 security personnel by Naxals in Chhattisgarh today seem to have been a well coordinated plan of CPI-Maoist which called for boycott of Lok Sabha polls as well as threatened to target leaders of Congress and BJP.

The plan was conveyed to chief secretaries and DGPs of nine Naxal-affected states in two separate letters by the Centre in the past two months.

Quoting Intelligence inputs, the Home Ministry had said that during a raid, security forces recovered from a Maoist hideout a document called 'Chunao Bahiskar' (election boycott) which spelt out details of their two-pronged strategy to disrupt forthcoming Parliamentary elections.

The CPI (Maoist) plans to organise meetings, rallies, torch-light processions and cultural programmes to spread the message of poll boycott besides taking disciplinary action against its own cadres found indulging in electioneering.

"On the military front, the outfit plans to target political leaders and security forces. It has directed its cadres to make all logistic arrangements, including collecting explosives for the proposed acts of violence.

"It has particularly identified leaders belonging to Congress, BJP and Jharkhand Vikas Morcha for targeting. Plans include targeting of vehicles engaged in electioneering, selective elimination and abduction of political leaders besides ambushing police and security force teams," one of the letters said.

Besides, a surrendered Naxal leader has also disclosed the group's plans to take advantage of the rather thin and dispersed deployment of the security forces during the Lok Sabha polls, it said.