The Buzz in Big Cities
Policemen in Andhra’s Naxalite zones prefer walking to a jeep ride, not to slim down but to stay alive.
Four-wheelers are being shunned in police stations in at least 100 rebel zones for fear these will be the target of landmine attacks. Only 700 of the state’s 1,559 police stations have four-wheelers. Few of the 207 vehicles provided recently have gone to those in rebel zones.
“Naxalites are targeting police personnel moving in four-wheelers. Landmines are a big threat to the police teams travelling in jeeps and buses along the Andhra-Orissa border, the Khammam-Chhattisgarh border, north Telangana and Nallamala,” a senior police officer said.
The preference in these areas is for private cars and sometimes two-wheelers. The degree of caution is greater during combing operations, when policemen often walk. If a vehicle must be taken, main roads are avoided.
A senior intelligence officer confirmed the aversion to vehicles. “Though the state government allotted funds (for jeeps) under the police modernisation scheme, policemen (in rebel areas) are just not ready to use vehicles.”
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