This refers to the report, “Clinical finish to anti-Naxal op” (April 25). Twin encounters in Maharashtra's Gadchiroli district against the Naxals has been hailed as a momentous success against the Naxals. Immaculate intelligence gathering, able co-ordination and perfect execution by the State police, C-60 commandos and the Central Reserve Police Force's (CRPF) Battalion 9 is a huge morale booster to the dedicated anti-Naxal forces countering the Naxals in the area despite facing a barrage of allegations from ‘human rights activists’. The police and the anti-Naxal forces are understandably jubilant for ‘decimating’ the Naxal dhalams of the area. But going by past examples, they can hardly allow complacency to creep into their psyche when a known Naxal den, Chhattisgarh's Bijapur, is in close proximity to Gadchiroli.
Smugness on past achievements has always been the cause of hardship for the otherwise brave and focused anti-Naxal commandos. The sheer number of Naxals killed and the ultra-sophisticated weapons recovered point to the need for more police hands and state-of-the-art ammunitions. The CRPF is said to be planning an overhaul of its Battalions. Accordingly, the CRPF's plan to induct 12,000 young men to replace their elder colleagues in the 31 battalions fighting the Naxals in central India could not have come at a better time. Young blood has to be vigorously tuned to tackle the dangerous Naxals well. However, as the Centre has reiterated time and again, its aim is not to finish off the Naxals, but propel them to shun violence and join the mainstream.