The Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) has classified six districts of Chhattisgarh —Narayanpur, Sukma, Bastar, Bijapur, Dantewada and Kondagaon — as “core areas” of Naxalism where the paramilitary has suffered 67 per cent of its casualties in the last ten years. The paramilitary is evolving a fresh strategy to counter the Naxals in these districts. Out of the 482 CRPF personnel martyred since 2005 in the Naxal theatre, the paramilitary suffered the maximum loss of 320 lives in these districts between 2005 and 2014.
According to the latest offensive planning, the CRPF will treat these districts as “special operational zone” and plans to launch coordinated operations with focused approach in terms of strategies, tactics and training to raise the operational momentum in these areas. A Bastar Task Force comprising nodal officers from various branches of the paramilitary is being created at the CRPF directorate here for effective and fast disposal of various issues relating to the units deployed in these areas.
“Anti-Naxal operations in the core areas will be precise, swift and avoid unnecessary holdings by the troops. Every operation will have an integrated pre-defined evacuation and reinforcement plan to avoid any counter Naxal ambush,” a senior Union Home Ministry official said. The Centre has accorded sanction for special provisions to the paramilitary for augmenting its infrastructure needs, motivational aspects and compensation of the force’s personnel deployed in these districts.
While 19 battalions (19,000 men and officers) are deployed in the area at present, four more battalions will deployed soon to launch the fresh offensives against the ultras. “Because of diverse geographical features, one area within South Chhattisgarh itself is vastly different from other areas, so is the Naxal tactics and so has to be the response of our forces. There is need for clear cut and codified operational strategies for each of these districts,” the official said.
The offensive plan will be firmed up after careful analysis of paramilitary’s own strengths and capabilities and Naxals’ strategies on the basis of institutionalised data evolved over the last few years, the official said. The range headquarters under the DIG (operations) will function as Primary Operational Strategy Centre (POSC) and will act as focal point for operations with short, medium and long term objectives. Each unit deployed in the area will have defined role to play in the formulation of operational strategies.
The elite CoBRA battalions of the CRPF will now onwards be exclusively utilised for long duration and deep penetration operations with clarity of purpose, defined retreat plans and offensives designed to be of “lightening strike and retreat” from core areas instead of “come and hug me” approach. Role/participation of civil police in planning and execution will be clearly spelt out as an orgaisation policy.
The personnel deployed in these districts will have a time bound posting and profile of those posted will be young in order to avoid fatigue. After completion of tenure in the core areas, the personnel will be entitled to choice postings. Incentives will be linked to operational performance like participation in operations, recoveries and other such achievements.
The battalions deployed in the core areas will be provided sufficient special equipment/arms, optical devices and explosives besides deployment of mobile signal boosters to aid effective communication between different formations. Apart from other arms, the units will be armed with sophisticated Dragunov Sniper rifles to hit moving targets and demolition sets to destroy large number of pressure mines deployed by the ultras.