CPI (Maoist)’s Dandakaranya Special Zonal Committee (DKSZC) headed by Kadari Satya Narayan Reddy was behind Saturday’s abduction of Sukma district collector Alex Paul Menon in a remote village in Chhattisgarh, intelligence sources said on Sunday.
“The deceased Maoist leader Kishenji’s brother M. Venugopal Rao planned the abduction for DKSZC. The meticulous plan was executed by the military unit of the outfit,” a senior intelligence sleuth of the Chhattisgarh police told this newspaper.
As per the kidnap strategy, a small action group of 15 military unit members, mostly women cadres, had been assigned the task of invading the meeting, where the young IAS officer was interacting with local villagers as a part of a government outreach programme, and taking him hostage.
Around 50 other Naxals were deployed at strategic positions at a distance to give cover to the action group, in case of retaliation by security forces, and later escorting them to a safer place in the jungles.
“The action group was led by deputy commander of local military dalam Hidma. The action group may have been also aided by two other senior rebel leaders Kissanna and Ranganna. The intelligence has tipped off that the district collector may be in the custody of these three rebel leaders now,” the police officer disclosed.
“The abduction of an IAS officer by the Naxals clearly indicates that they are on defensive. Maoists believe in armed struggle to overthrow the elected government and they use kidnapping as the last resort when they are on defensive,” the police officer, who has more than two decades of experience in handling insurgency in Chhattisgarh, said.
According to the official, the Maoist leadership appear worried over gradual weakening of Red strength in Chhattisgarh, their major stronghold in the country.