Union Home Minister Sushilkumar Shinde on Wednesday said that all the officials and personnel of State police as well as Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) will continue with their joint action against Naxalites in Chhattisgarh.
Chhattisgarh Police and CRPF are conducting the anti-Naxal operation in Bastar in a well-coordinated manner. The Central Government will provide sufficient security forces to Chhattisgarh State for holding lok Sabha elections in a peaceful, unbiased, secured and systematic manner, he assured Governor, Chief Minister and other senior officials in the meeting held here.
In context of the incident of Naxal violence that occurred in Tongpal day earlier, the Home Minister insisted upon the need of expediting the joint anti-naxal operation in Bastar region.
He said that the demise of a civilian and several police personnel in the incidence is extremely sad. State and Centre will have to take effective steps to ensure that such incidents never occur again. Central Government will extend complete cooperation to the State Government in its fight against naxalism, he assured.
In the meeting, Chief Minister Raman Singh said that Naxal problem should be considered as a serious challenge in the national perspective. For finding permanent solution to this problem, he insisted upon the need of inter-state coordination; especially between the Naxal-affected States in the neighbourhood of Chhattisgarh.
The Chief Minister told Shinde that Centre had provided adequate security forces to Chhattisgarh during the Assembly polls, as a result of which the elections in Bastar were peacefully held.
likewise, enough number of CRPF companies is required for lok Sabha elections as well, so that the voters may cast their vote fearlessly without any bias,he said.
Singh said that the Tongpal incidence is a cowardly act of Naxalites. The police personnel were on the way to a road construction site for providing security there, when the insurgents ambushed them. The incidence clearly reflects their insecurity and anti-development mentality, he said.
Chief Minister said that during Assembly polls, the voters had enthusiastically exercised their franchise amid peaceful environment; which naxalites could not digest and they dastardly perpetrated the attack.
Central and State Police forces will continue to discharge their duties with all the dedication and commitment to avert occurrence of any such incidence in future, he said.The Chief Minister said that Naxalites are against development. But in the end, State government's schemes for betterment of public will eventually win this fight.
The State and Centre will continue to make collective efforts to ensure peaceful development and secured environment for the people of Bastar, he said. In the meeting, State Home Minister Ramsevak Paikra, Security Advisor to Central Government K Vijay Kumar, Chief Secretary Vivek Dhand, State Director General of Police AN Upadhyay, Joint Secretary of Union Ministry of Home Affairs Ganpati, Director General of CRPF DilipTrivedi and senior officials of government-administration, along with Jagdalpur MlA Santosh Bafna and other officials were also present.