http://www.telegraphindia.com/1120415/jsp/frontpage/story_15375605.jsp#.T4rkjbNa5vY

STAND-OFF  Security forces brace for long haul as cornered Maoists hold on to Koel-Sankh hill bastion

NISHIT DHOLABHAI & SUMAN K. SHRIVASTAVA

New Delhi/Ranchi, April 14: For nearly three months now, security forces have been locked in a tense stand-off with Maoists with the objective of winning over a hill bastion in Jharkhand that the rebels see as their last stronghold after attacks on their well-established base of Abujhmaad in bordering Chhattisgarh. Personnel belonging to CRPF and Jharkhand Jaguar have zeroed in on Burha Pahad, which according to Maoists' categorisation comes under the Koel-Sankh zone that covers districts of Gumla, Palamau, Garhwa and Latehar in Jharkhand and Balrampur and Ambikapur in Chhattisgarh. The theatre of battle is centred around Burha Pahad, spread fairly equally between Latehar and Balrampur. The Maoists, confide senior home department sources, are atop the hill and making best use of their positional advantage even as security forces lay siege nearby. The challenges of battle apart, the security forces are worried about civilian casualties as villagers are prone to getting caught in the intense crossfire. On April 7, security forces were locked in battle for almost seven hours from 8.30am at Chemo Sanya forest in Garhwa bordering Latehar. They used over 6,000 rounds of cartridges and over a 100 grenades to repulse the Maoist attack. Seven jawans were injured in the encounter. On Tuesday, the Maoists, revealed senior Union home ministry sources, triggered 40 blasts, the impact of which was felt hundreds of metres away. The operations were launched in the area in coordination with Chhattisgarh police following the death of 13 police personnel in a landmine blast in Garhwa on January 21. Months on, the security forces are well aware that the fight for Burha Pahad will be a long haul. "We believe the Maoist operation is being led by politburo member Dev Kumar Singh, alias Nishant, and he is holding on," said a government source. This was significant because Maoists have been looking to change-over from mobile to positional battles, but were unable to do so in the light of massive offensives by the security forces. And Nishant, who is from Bihar, is apparently trying to send a message to the CPI(Maoist) leadership in Andhra Pradesh that it was time to fight back. Weeks ago, the operation in Abujhmaad was a major setback for the Maoists both operationally and strategically. Not only are they be short of manpower, their supply chains to the interiors have also been disrupted. The only time Maoists had been cornered thus in the Koel-Sankh zone was when security forces destroyed their research and development unit and local headquarters at Gotang in Latehar in a five-day operation from July 2 last year. IG (Palamau range) Deepak Verma cited strategic reasons for not giving out the number of security forces personnel engaged in the operation this time, but said they were "adequate" to fight a decisive battle against the Maoists. Home ministry estimates put the number of Maoists guarding the hill bastion at over 400. "Based on information provided by a rebel arrested on Thursday, we think as many as 21 Maoists were killed in the pitched battles over the past few days," said the government source. "If we get the Koel-Sankh zone it will be a huge psychological blow for the Maoists. The moment security forces can get the hill feature, it would mean more control," the source said and added that the significance of the hillock in the fight against rebels was akin to the importance of Tiger Hill or Tololin during the Kargil war. The area in Jharkhand is tactically advantageous for the Maoists, as security forces cannot make forays from the other side _ vast tracts of virtually unexplored territory in Chhattisgarh. "There is pressure from both sides, we hope for the best," CRPF DG K.Vijay Kumar told The Telegraph early this week. IG Verma said the forces would not rest till they were able to flush out the rebels. "Though the forces are also feeling the rising mercury levels, the Maoists will be more vulnerable when drinking water becomes scarce in the region that falls in a rain shadow area," he said.