New faces from Udupi district in naxal team:

New faces from Udupi district in naxal team: IGP
Saturday November 18 2006 10:40 IST

CHIKMAGALUR: IGP, Eastern Range, Satyanarayana Rao revealed that new faces from Udupi district were found in the naxal teams operating in the Western Ghats.

Speaking to reporters here on Friday after inaugurating the Police Sports Meet, he disclosed that no new persons from other districts of Malnad region had joined the naxal team.

Adding that the number of naxals had not gone up considerably, he agreed that members from other states frequently visited camps in the Western Ghat region in Karnataka.

“Prima facie it is found that the naxals had stopped recruiting local youths. It is also observed that outsiders had not taken over leadership of local naxal teams,” he added.

Anti-naxal operation is going on continuously. Police have taken all care to contain naxal activity in the region, he claimed.

Referring to the encounter at Bommanahalli village of Udupi district on Thursday, he said naxals were in an advantageous position and the place they were camping was narrow and inaccessible.

This allowed them to escape though the police had opened fire.

In earlier encounters, naxal teams used to have at least six members. This time there were only four members, he pointed out.

A proposal to modernise police stations in naxal-affected areas was sent to the government and is now with the Finance Department, he said.

He was accompanied by DC Nilay Mitash and SP Vipul Kumar.

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