BHUBANESWAR - Home Minister P. Chidambaram Friday asked police forces in Maoist-hit areas to stick to standard operation procedures.

Referring to a string of setbacks the forces have faced in the Maoist-affected belt, he said: “There is a standard operation procedure for police to move in naxal-affected areas. If they follow these, such things will not happen.”

“Please do not violate the standard procedure,” he said citing recent incidents in different parts of the country including the killings of policemen in Orissa’s Koraput district.

At least nine policemen were killed after their vehicle was blasted by Maoists in a forested area of Orissa’s Koraput district on June 18 when they had gone to clear the blocked roads. In such case the standard procedure was that they have to go on foot, he said.

Chidambaram, during his two-day visit to the state beginning Thursday, visited the anti-insurgency training centre and the district armoury in Koraput, 500 km from state capital Bhubaneswar, and held discussions with senior state police officers.

He also visited Kandhamal district and met victims of the communal violence last year in which 38 people were killed.

The home minister also met Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik and senior state officials and discussed with them the law and order situation before leaving for Delhi.