By IANS,
New Delhi : Home Minister P. Chidamabaram is expected to attend a meeting of the unified command in Raipur Monday evening and devise strategies to counter left wing extremism that has stalked the state with increasing ferocity.
According to home ministry officials, Maoist rebels have a presence in more than half of the 18 districts in Chhattisgarh that witnessed large scale violence last year in which over 212 people, including security personnel, were killed.
“The menace posed by the left-wing ultras is clear and present danger to safety and security in the state and will be discussed thoroughly in the meeting,” said a ministry official.
The Maoist conflict is concentrated in the southern tribal-dominated districts of Bastar, Dantewada, and Kanker. Officials pointed out that Scheduled Tribes (ST) constitute more than 80 per cent of this belt’s population, thereby forming the backbone of the armed rebels.