New Delhi/Raipur: A year after the deadly
Dantewada Naxal attack which killed 75 CRPF personnel and a
Chhattisgarh policeman, the central force at the forefront of
anti-Naxal operations in the country has now changed its
operational techniques and is concentrating on intelligence
based operations at state borders.
"The CRPF has now mandated its young officers, in the
ranks of Assisstant Commandants and Deputy Commandants to
undertake special operations, based on intelligence,
importantly at the state borders which see a huge Naxal
movement," a senior CRPF officer supervising the operations at
Raipur said.
On April six last year, armed Naxalites had ambushed
an entire company of the force at Chintalnar in Dantewada
killing 75 CRPF men and a state police official, dealing a
severe blow to the force in its anti-naxal operations.
The Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) headquarters
in the national capital has also asked its formations to deal
directly with the state administration and the Unified
Commands (created in the aftermath of the Dantewada attack)
before undertaking operations in these areas.
CRPF chief K Vijay Kumar along with Additional
Director General (Operations) P M Nair have been undertaking a
series of tours to the Naxal affected areas "fortifying the
CRPF presence" and "ensuring infrastructure and other
facilities to the troops stationed there."
The force has also sanctioned additional weaponary and
recovery vehicles to each of the about 65 battalions deployed
for counter-Naxalite operations in various states.
"The CRPF had a setback after Dantewada happened. Now
the troops have been asked to concentrate in undertaking
operations along the borders of the naxal affected states
because this is where the maximum movement and activity of
armed Naxal cadres is," a top CRPF officer said.
The troops, and the Commanders of the units, have been
asked to plan operations "meticulously" and in consultation
with the state police. They need to inform the CRPF
headquarters only if the Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs)
are not found to be followed because of certain reasons," the
officer said.
Six battalions of the Combat Battalion for Resolute
Action (CoBRA), have also been activated fully and are
undertaking operations themselves and assisting regular CRPF
units in few cases. The force is also in the process of
expanding its intelligence unit in these locations.
CRPF Director General, K Vijay Kumar, who took charge
of the force in October last year, had personally undertaken
some ambush operations in Chhattisgarh and other states to
boost the morale of these men, the officer said.
PTI
