Naxalism: Centre Reviewing Security Apparatus in Chhattisgarh, West Bengal

Following Naxal attack on CRPF contingent in Dantewada last Tuesday, the central government is reviewing the security apparatus in Chhattisgarh and West Bengal, said media reports.

Government will deploy security forces in Raipur in Chhattisgarh and Midnapore in West Bengal to take on Maoists, CNN-IBN reported quoting unnamed sources.

Now special commandos will be handed charge to tackle armed rebels in these areas, reports said.

Besides, government will sanction and send more CRPF personnel to the Maoist-affected regions, said reports.

Soon after last week’s attack, there were demands of using the Army and Air Force to crack down on Maoists but both the Army Chief General VK Singh and Air Force Chief Air Chief Marshal PV Naik said that military is trained to fight the enemy from across the border and not to launch offensive operations against the citizens of the country.

Today also, Naik said that any use of Indian Air Force to fight Maoists must avoid collateral damage, said reports.

“We have the capability to conduct strikes with utmost precision. If at all a situation arises where the use of Air Force becomes inevitable, there has to be clarity on the magnitude of the force we are supposed to use. After all, we are dealing with our own people in our own territory. So far we have not been approached by the Home Ministry for any type of help in combating Naxalites,” he was quoted as saying at Bamrauli Air Force station near Allahabad.

Naik said that the IAF deployed unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) to track Maoists a couple of years, reports said.

“We had deployed UAVs in the tribal areas of the states a couple of years ago and provided inputs at that time. The Air Force is not conducting any reconnaissance in the region at present,” he was quoted as saying.

“It also needs to be understood that the reconnaissance by our UAVs will have some limitations. UAVs can give information about a number of people gathering at a spot but it cannot tell you whether it is a group of armed insurgents or ordinary tribals and villagers. Aerial survey may not be possible in dense jungles as the devices cannot see through a canopy of trees, bushes and shrubs,” the air chief marshal was quoted as saying.

(Based on internet reports)