The Centre has alerted governments of nine naxal affected states in view of the death reports of top Maoist commander Kishenji and asked them to exercise maximum vigil.
The alert has been issued by the Union Home Ministry to the directors general of police (DGPs) in view of possible retaliatory strikes from Maoist cadres in left wing extremism states of West Bengal, Orrisa, Chhattisgarh, Bihar, Jharkhand, Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh.
"The states have been asked to exercise maximum vigil and caution. The central security forces have also been asked to be on alert in these states," official sources said.
In a huge setback to Maoists, their top leader Kishenji, 58, was on Thursday killed in a gunbattle with security forces in a forest in West Midnapore district of West Bengal.