MP CM to review law and order and anti-Maoist operations today

by IANS |

Bhopal, April 7 (IANS) Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Mohan Yadav will chair a series of high-level meetings with the home department to review the state’s law and order situation, the implementation of three newly introduced criminal laws, and ongoing anti-Maoist operations in the state.

The three new criminal laws -- Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS), and Bharatiya Sakshya Adhiniyam (BSA) -- came into effect across the country, including Madhya Pradesh, on July 1 last year.

These laws replaced the colonial-era Indian Penal Code (IPC), Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPC), and Indian Evidence Act, aiming to tackle modern crimes such as cybercrime, data theft, and digital fraud with stricter penalties.

Chief Minister Yadav had earlier said that the implementation of these laws is being monitored regularly, with necessary actions being taken in accordance with the Union Home Ministry’s guidelines.

In addition to ensuring the effective enforcement of the new legal framework, the state government has adopted a five-pronged strategy that includes public awareness campaigns, capacity building through training, system and technical upgrades, resource allocation and recruitment, and the issuance of necessary rules and notifications.

During the meetings with senior officials, including Chief Secretary Anurag Jain and Director General of Police Kailash Makwana, the Chief Minister will also assess the status of anti-Maoist operations in Mandla, Balaghat, and Dindori districts.

Notably, in recent weeks, security forces have killed more than half a dozen Maoists in Mandla and Balaghat. This includes two armed and wanted female Maoist cadres who were gunned down last week in the forests of Mandla district.

On February 19, four Maoists were killed in an encounter in the Supkhar forest area of Balaghat.

With neighbouring Chhattisgarh intensifying its crackdown, several Maoists are suspected to have moved into Madhya Pradesh’s border districts. In the past four months, at least 130 Maoists have been killed in encounters -- more than 110 of them in Chhattisgarh’s Bastar division, which includes Bijapur and Kanker districts.

Additionally, over 105 Maoists have been arrested, and 164 have surrendered, as authorities work to restore peace in the region.