Jamshedpur, Mar 14 (UNI) Senior police officials from Jharkhand, West Bengal and Orissa today chalked out a joint strategy to strengthen the counter-insurgency operation in the border districts of the three states following the assassination of Jamshedpur MP Sunil Mahto by the outlawed CPI (Maoist)activists.

A joint meeting here, was attended by Jharkhand Additional Director General (Special Branch) G S Rath, Inspector Generals (Operations and Zonal) D K Pandey and Ashok Kumar Sinha, Inspector Generals (Operations) from West Bengal and Orissa and Deputy Inspector General (Kolhan) Ram Lakhan Prasad.

Besides, Superintendent of Police from West Bengal's Purulia, Midnapore and Bankura districts, Orissa's Mayurbhanj and Keonjhar districts and Jharkhand's East and West Singhbhum and Seraikela-Kharsawan districts participated in the meeting.

Briefing mediapersons after the marathon meeting, Mr Rath said police would launch a joint operation simultaneously in the border areas of the three states to flush out the Maoist rebels.

Regarding killing of JMM MP Sunil Mahto, Mr Rath said, ''We are sharing information with the West Bengal police and a joint operation is going on to nab the ultras involved in the MP's killing.'' He claimed that the mystery behind Mahto's killing would be unravelled soon.

Condemning the killings of innocent people by the extremists, the police official said the outfit should remember that they were leading a political movement and they should abstain from any sorts of criminal activities and shedding of blood in the name of ideology.

Mr Rath also stressed the need on mordenising the police force to combat the naxals.

Meanwhile, acting on a tip-off, the police team recovered explosives, including 16 detonators, 15 gelatin rods, electric coils and explosive materials, from Gudajhor forest near Ghatshila.

UNI