Rohtas SP Manu Maharaj (centre) talks to Uttar Pradesh police personnel to chalk out a strategy to contain the Maoist menace on the UP-Bihar border. Picture by Sanjay Choudhary

Patna, March 15: The state police have drawn up a detailed plan to launch a fresh offensive against the Maoists operating on Bihar-Uttar Pradesh and Bihar-Jharkhand borders immediately after the festival of Holi.

The decision to come down heavily on the rebels jointly was taken at a high-level meeting of the senior police officials of Bihar, Jharkhand and UP in the wake of Sunday’s encounter. It left the top brass of the three Maoist-affected states baffled.

Deputy inspector-general, Shahabad range, Sushil Khopde said the police officers of the three states were maintaining coordination and also shared information with their counterparts. “Such operations against the Maoists will continue,” he said.

A senior police officer associated with the anti-Naxalite operation in the state said: “The Sunday’s operation was part of a joint operation launched by the security personnel of the three neighbouring states. The operation was led by the superintendents of police (SPs) of Rohtas (Bihar), Sonebhadra (UP) and Gadhwa (Jharkhand).” A strong contingent of the central paramilitary force also took part in the operation to lend additional firepower to the police.

The police team concentrated on the areas on the Bihar-UP border. The operation was launched in the wake of forthcoming panchyat elections in Bihar.

The security personnel have spotted terror modules in the areas between Yadunathpur and Beluria in Rohtas district, the police officer said. But he refused to give details of the operation citing security reasons.

“We have planned another major operation in the region immediately after Holi,” he said.

“We are baffled over the presence of a large number of Maoists in the region. The police team came under heavy firing from the Maoists while it was returning to the district headquarters from Beluria (Bihar),” the police officer said.

He said though no security personnel sustained bullet injury in the crossfire, at least three Maoists were killed in the encounter, which, he described as successful.

When contacted, Rohtas SP Manu Maharaj said the experience of the joint combing operation was encouraging as the police and the central paramilitary force got an opportunity to find out the ground realities and topography of the Maoist-affected areas of the neighbouring states.

Describing the joint operation on Sunday, the SP said: “A group of heavily armed Maoists challenged the joint team but the attack was repulsed by the jawans.”

Two hardcore Maoists, identified as Ranjeet Kumar Ram and Baleshwar Thakur, both residents of Katudarh under Chutia police station of the district, were arrested after the encounter.

The arrested Maoists admitted to their involvement in the attack on the police team when the latter was returning to the district headquarters after an operation, he added.