Forces eye key Naxal areas, seek extra 12,000 men

Bhopal: The deadly April 24 Maoist ambush on a CRPF party in Sukma, Chhattisgarh, in which 25 jawans were killed and eight others injured, has forced the security forces to review the counter-insurgency strategy.

It has been decided in a high-level meeting of senior officers that the focus of counter-insurgency would be shifted to core Maoist areas in a 1,000 sq km area between Dornapal-Jagarg-unda in Sukma district by mobilising forces from elsewhere in the region, a senior police officer told this newspaper on Thursday.

“The revised counter-insurgency strategy was given a nod at the high-level meeting presided over by Chhattisgarh chief minister Raman Singh at Raipur late Wednesday night. Internal security advisor to Union home ministry K. Vijay Kumar and state home secretary B.V. Subramanyam, and a host of senior officers of the state police and paramilitary forces attended the meeting,” he added.

Three roads in 57 km Jagargunda-Dornapal area are currently under construction. All the three roads pass through core area of Maoists, declared by the reds as their liberated zone. “It has been decided in the meeting to complete constructions of the three crucial roads, strategically located to help security forces make inroads into the Maoists’ core area in Sukma district. The 1,000 sq km densely forested region has been used as a safe haven by Maoist leaders spearheading Naxal movement in Bastar,” sources said.

The meeting has dec-ided to place a demand before the Union government to deploy additional 12,000 specialised security personnel such as CoBRA, the anti-Naxal wing of CRPF, and the Naga battalion, famous for countering guerrilla warfare.

While seeking 10 battalions of CoBRA and Naga, the state government has also placed a demand before the Centre to give its approval to raise two additional battalions of district reserve forces, comprising local tribals youth and surrendered Naxals.

Meanwhile, an FIR has been filed in Sukma district against Naxal leaders including Maoist commanders Hidma, Situ, Arjun and Pada Appa, in connection with the April 24 Naxal attack.

In another development, Dandakaranya Special Zonal Committee of CPI (Maoist) spokesman Vikalpa on Thursday released an audio clip claiming responsibility for the attack on the CRPF party at Burkapal.

“The attack was carried out to avenge killing of 21 Naxals by security personnel in Bastar last year”, he purportedly said.