PATNA: For countering Maoism or left wing extremism (LWE) in Bihar, security forces have adopted psychological warfare strategy by ‘educating’ family members' of cadres of CPI (Maoist) about their millionaire leaders through public campaigns held in core Maoist infested villages of Gaya, Aurangabad, Banka, Jamui and Lakhisarai.Sources said provision to counter LWE through psychological warfare was already present on national level, but security forces across several states including Bihar started working on it in last three-four months.IG (Operation) Kundan Krishnan , when asked, said it is important to take away support system and plug financial sources of Maoist leaders and show the truth to poor villagers who support them.“Public campaigns imparting knowledge about wealthy Maoist leaders were held at several core Maoist affected villages located in five districts,” Krishnan said.He said Maoists had roped in children from remote villages in these districts several years back and they were still active.“Those children, now grown-up, are serving as active lower rank armed cadres or called dasta. Security personnel were targeting families of these cadres or those about whom we have information that they might join cadre,” he said.“The family members and villages are being informed that children, niece and nephews of Maoist leaders like Sandeep Yadav and Pradyuman Sharma were studying in engineering and medical colleges by paying donations while their son and daughter are roaming in jungles,” he said.Krishnan said security personnel, armed with photographs and other information, are holding these campaigns where cadres’ family members are shown life style and living standard of family and children of Maoist leaders made through extortion (levy) money.He said in last eight months, movable and immovable property details worth several crore of top seven Maoist leaders of Bihar and Jharkhand were sent to Enforcement Directorate (ED) of which property worth above Rs 2.7 crore of Sandeep, Pradyuman and Vinay Yadav were provisionally attached too.He said cadres’ family members were being motivated to call their son and daughter back shunning path of violence.“The search and destroy operation against Maoists would also continue with impunity along with such campaigns,” he said. Krishnan, quoting union ministry of home affairs’ latest review, said Gaya, Aurangabad, Jamui and Lakhisarai were among top 30 district which are most LWE affected across India.According to state police headquarters data, 13 LWE violence incidents were reported till April this year in Bihar against 22 in corresponding period of previous year. Three civilians and one security personnel lost their lives in the 13 incidents and altogether 111 Maoists were arrested. Last year, Bihar had witnessed 71 incidents of LWE violence which was lowest after 2007. No security personnel had died last year.

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