Policemen from Jharkhand Jaguar (JJ), the Special Task Force (STF) of Jharkhand Police, sent on a training session to Andhra Pradesh for attaining the knowhow of the Greyhounds are back and ready to train their colleagues in the battalion. A group of 40 JJ personnel including an ASI have been trained by the Greyhounds to pursue and combat the insurgents deep into the forests. These trained JJ personnel will now be assigned to share their expertise with their colleagues in the state.
“All the 40 men who were sent to attain the knowhow of the Greyhounds in Andhra Pradesh are back-home. They will now be equally distributed into four groups of 10 each. Each group will be merged with another group of about 20 men to share their expertise with them,” said DIG (JJ) Praveen Singh. Singh said that these trained personnel will basically be spreading their knowhow with the other people in the battalion so that more and more people get benefitted with their training. The trained commandoes will now train their colleagues at Jharkhand Jaguar's training camp at Kanke.
Greyhounds, a specialized anti-Maoist force created in 1986 to control the Maoists insurgents in Andhra Pradesh who, at once had a strong presence in a larger part of the state. It has been fighting with the insurgent’s very efficiently since its formation. Only the best policemen of Andhra Pradesh make it to the Greyhound squad, which is said to be one of the highest paid in the country - even higher than the elite National Security Guards.
The force specially trained for deep forest pursuit and combats and numbering only 2,000 in the state, moves around in small bands of 15-25 commandos for a better efficiency. The rebel ranks have fallen down to 400 hardcore members from 1,000 in the last few years. While Jharkhand Jaguar, which came into being in 2008 which presently has 20 Assault Groups of STF for eradication of extremist activities in Jharkhand. Best boys from its force in various districts were picked up and were inducted into Jharkhand Jaguar.
According to a senior police official, JJ will just have to make some minor changes in its combat tactics during operations as it had also been created on the same spirits of Greyhounds to control Maoists in Jharkhand.
The difference being that it operates with the assistance of others police agencies like CRPF, JAP-I or State police. Greyhounds on the other hand operate independently. Now, JJ too is preparing to act independently in small groups on the lines of Greyhounds. The Ministry of Home Affairs is providing funds on condition that this Special Task Force (STF) of the State will be developed like the Greyhounds.
Ministry of Home Affairs has sanctioned Rs 75 crore to develop Jharkhand Jaguar on the lines of the Greyhounds in the next three years. Construction of a 150-acre camp in Dhurwa has already been started.