The Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) has proposed additional deployment of its personnel in the Maoist-affected areas for thoroughly securing the trunk and arterial roads for conducting effective operations against the ultras.
The CRPF considers roads in strongholds of Maoists a lifeline for conducting operations but the ultras have so far been successful in putting a spanner in the force’s designs by laying mines and IEDs under the roads in their bid to maximise casualties against the paramilitary.
The paramilitary plans to extensively deploy road opening parties (ROP) along the roads in Maoist-infested areas on the lines of the practice on several stretches of roads in militancy-hit Jammu and Kashmir and insurgency-affected Northeast for increased mobility especially during the conduct of operations against the ultra-left extremists.
The proposal was made during a power-point presentation to Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh last week where the top CRPF brass also underscored that increase in deployment in Maoist areas has subsequently resulted in decrease in the number of incidents and casualties in the last few years, an official who attended the operational briefing said.
According to official data, the number of violent incidents has decreased from the peak of 2,250 incidents in 2009 to about 1,130 in 2013 with consequent increase in deployment of 52 CRPF battalions (52,000 personnel) in 2009 to 82 battalions in 2013. The number of casualties of civilians has spiraled down from 591 deaths in 2009 to 279 casualties in 2013. likewise, the attrition of security force personnel has also decreased from 317 in 2009 to 115 in 2013.
The paramilitary officials highlighted the need for a better telecommunication network in such areas for operational efficiency including better flow of intelligence from the ground. In response to this point, top Union Home Ministry officials who accompanies the Minister assured CRPF officials that visible results of improved mobile phone network would available towards the end of the year.
The CRPF also proposed an organisational restructuring of the paramilitary including merger of the operational and administrative wings in the areas of deployment for enhancing the effectiveness and efficacy of the operations.
The CRPF considers roads in strongholds of Maoists a lifeline for conducting operations but the ultras have so far been successful in putting a spanner in the force’s designs by laying mines and IEDs under the roads in their bid to maximise casualties against the paramilitary
The paramilitary plans to extensively deploy road opening parties along the roads in Maoist-infested areas The paramilitary officials highlighted the need for a better telecommunication network in such areas for operational efficiency including better flow of Intelligence from the ground
The CRPF also proposed an organisational restructuring of the paramilitary including merger of the operational and administrative wings in the areas of deployment for enhancing the effectiveness and efficacy of the operations