UDUPI: The DIG and Commander of the Anti-naxalite Force (ANF), Jayaprakash Naik, on Monday said the ANF has begun operations against naxalites in Udupi district and nearby areas.

Addressing presspersons here, he said naxalites are losing the sympathy of the people. This was seen after the killing of Sheshaiah Gowda at Menasinahadya. Naxalites are under pressure and are moving from place to place. The ANF has state-of-the-art weapon and communication system, he added.

The Special Task Force (STF), which was engaged in operations against the forest brigand Veerappan, has been renamed ANF. The force has been formed under an order dated May 21 to end illegal and repressive activities of naxalites in the Malnadu region and the districts bordering Andhra Pradesh.

The ANF has 543 personnel, including officers. Udupi has been chosen as the headquarters of the force for the time being. The headquarters may be shifted as per requirements.

The ANF has been divided into two wings — "Malnadu Zone Control Squad," which has 333 personnel, and the Border District Zone Control Squad, which has 210 personnel. The areas under the jurisdiction of the Malnadu Zone Control Squad are Udupi, Dakshina Kannada, Chikmagalur and Shimoga districts. The zone is under an IPS officer, Madhukar Shetty.

The Border District Zone Control Squad has jurisdiction over the KGF, Kolar, Tumkur, Chitradurga, Bidar, Gulbarga, Raichur and Bellary districts.

Training

For training, providing weaponry, vehicles, and intelligence gathering in the zone, Bangalore has been found most suitable and a centre has been opened on the premises of the office of the Director General and Inspector General of Police. The officers and other personnel of the ANF are selected from the Armed Reserved Force and other police wings.

Mr. Naik said the force will put down any activity which disturbs peace and order and is unconstitutional. However, care will be taken to ensure that there are no human rights violations. The force has been given autonomy, he said and added that he hoped to achieve success in the task of curbing naxalites.

The officers and other personnel in the force are in the age group of 20 to 30 years. The personnel who did not participate in the operations against Veerappan are being trained in Bangalore.

He said he has worked in the Mangalore zone of State Intelligence Wing for four years. The four Malnadu districts were under his jurisdiction at the time. As he is from Karwar, he is familiar with the problems and culture of the people of the region, he added.

`Aware of problems'

Mr. Naik said that when he functioned as the Superintendent of Police of Kolar, he came to know about the problems of border districts. The Superintendents of Police in the 13 districts under his jurisdiction are cooperating with him. The cooperation of the people is essential for success in the ANF operations against naxalites, he said.

He said the rainy season will not affect the work of the ANF. "We will make plans,'' he added.

The Superintendent of Police, S. Murugan, was present.

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