In a rare punitive action, the CRPF has suspended 17 of its personnel, including four junior officers, for dereliction of duty and deserting martyred colleagues during a deadly ambush in Sukma earlier this year, in which 11 paramilitary personnel, four from the State police and a civilian were killed.
The move comes after a Court of Inquiry (CoI) instituted following the March 11 incident in Chhattisgarh stated in its preliminary findings that these personnel (those suspended now) displayed “lack of action and did not show satisfactory counter action” to save their fellow troops as they themselves ran for cover.
CRPF Director General Dilip Trivedi told The Pioneer, “They have been suspended by Inspector General Chhattisgarh after the preliminary inquiry found them guilty on these charges.” The final quantum of punishment will be decided after the full enquiry is completed within the next three months, officials said.
This is a rare disciplinary action taken by the CRPF against its own personnel deployed in the anti-Naxal theatre. CRPF is designated the lead agency for anti-Naxal operations in the country and is assisting the State police forces for over a decade.
“These personnel have been suspended as they have been found guilty of dereliction of duty and soldier-like conduct. Those suspended include 14 constables and four subordinate officers in the rank of Inspector and Assistant Sub-inspectors,” officials said.
The enquiry was conducted by a Commandant rank officer and the recommendations are now being processed by a Deputy Inspector General rank official related to the anti-Naxal operations. According to preliminary findings, the incident reflected a clear cut violation of the Standard Operating Procedures and soldierly conduct expected from the members of the joint squad. The patrol squad was ambushed around 10 am on that day and the ultras looted the weapons and ammunition from the slain jawans and subordinate officers.
“Their conduct during the ambush was sheer cowardice and the casualties on the patrol squad could have been minimised had they acted in due manner. Retaliatory action could also have inflicted casualties on the Naxals,” they said.
The March 11 ambush brought back memories of the audacious 2010 Dantewada massacre in which 76 CRPF personnel were gunned down in the same area in a flawed operation planned and launched by the then DIG, CRPF and IPS officer Nalin Prabhat.
The 200-strong Naxal group attacked the joint contingent of security forces’ personnel at Jeerum Nullah. The attack came amid intelligence alerts that the ultras have planned a chunav bahiskar during the Parliamentary elections earlier this year. The area is notorious for Naxal influence.
The attack is believed to have been carried out by the Dandkaranya Zonal Committee of the banned Communist Party of India (Maoist). The committee was also responsible for carrying out the audacious attack barely five kilometres from the spot in which the entire leadership of the Congress party in the State was wiped out in May 2013.