Naxal attack: Orissa, Andhra trade charges, probe ordered

Debabrata Mohanty & Joseph John

Bhubaneswar/Raipur , July 1 Orissa and Andhra Pradesh are involved in a bitter war of words over the Maoist attack on the elite Greyhound force, blaming each other for lack of coordination, as naval divers continued to search the Balimela reservoir for the 36 missing commandos for the third day on Tuesday.

With senior officials of both states not ready to take the blame for the Malkangiri attack, they blamed it on the lack of co-ordination between security forces involved in counter-insurgency operations in Naxal-infested regions of Andhra Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Orissa and Maharashtra.

While Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Y S Rajashekhara Reddy said the attack was a result of major intelligence failure, Orissa home secretary T K Mishra found faults with the timing of the journey.

Reacting to the accusations of intelligence failure, Mishra said the Greyhounds take their own decision during such operations. “The accusations are baseless. We simply provide them with logistic support and information during anti-insurgency operations. In fact the timing of the journey was not suitable as the area is considered a hotbed of the Naxals, “ he said.

Mishra said it was a “tactical error” and the attack could have been avoided. “It was a blunder on the part of the commandos who sailed in one boat instead of in splits. The Greyhounds also violated their own guidelines, which stressed on avoiding water routes while moving for a combing operation,” he said.

Reddy, meanwhile, ordered a probe to establish how the ultras managed to know the route and how the tragedy took place. “The Andhra Government has asked a very senior officer to inquire into the tragic incident,” he said.

According to senior Andhra police official, the Greyhound force is the only elite unit in the Maoist infested region, which is capable of launching a counter-insurgency operation and has been proactive in taking on the Naxals.

“With the Greyhounds putting up a stiff resistance in Andhra Pradesh, the Maoist leaders have moved to Chhattisgarh and Orissa. However, the elite commandos have continued their anti-insurgent operations with vigour and are in hot-pursuit of the rebels in the border areas,” said an official.

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Naxal attack: Orissa, Andhra trade charges, probe ordered

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