Revamp intel network in Naxal areas, intensify ops: Rajnath

NEW DELHI: Home Minister Rajnath Singh, after his return from Chhattisgarh, today held a high-level security review meeting with top officials of his ministries and National Security Adviser (NSA) Ajit Doval and directed them to strengthen the human intelligence network in Maoist-hit areas to minimise casualties of forces engaged in anti-naxal operations.

Home Minister Rajnath Singh. File photo

Tribune News Service

New Delhi, April 26

Home Minister Rajnath Singh, after his return from Chhattisgarh, today held a high-level security review meeting with top officials of his ministries and National Security Adviser (NSA) Ajit Doval and directed them to strengthen the human intelligence network in Maoist-hit areas to minimise casualties of forces engaged in anti-naxal operations.

The meeting, sources in the MHA said, entirely focused on the anti-Naxal operations, as it was held in the aftermath of the killing of 25 CRPF personnel by the Left wing extremists in Chhattisgarh.

The minister stressed the need for revamping the intelligence gathering mechanism, meticulously analysing the ongoing operations, identifying problem areas and resolving them for better results, they added.

Besides NSA, the meeting was attended by Union Home Secretary Rajiv Mehrishi, Intelligence Bureau Chief Rajiv Jain and others, where the focus was entirely on “re-calibration of the anti-Naxal strategy,” sources said.

The focus was on “human intelligence”, which stemmed from the reports that the Naxal guerrillas attacked the CRPF team in Sukma after taking shelter in the houses of local inhabitants, which the forces failed to get even whiff of it.

The Home Minister directed the officials that there should be no let-up in the anti-Naxal operations in the aftermath of the recent reverses. Instead, the operations should be intensified further, he is learnt to have told the officials.

He also asked officials to look for out-of-the-box solutions to the problem of successive attacks on Road Opening Parties (ROP) in areas where development works were going on.

Meanwhile, the officials briefed the minister that currently 90 per cent of Maoist activity was limited to 35 worst-hit districts, even though the extremists had influence in areas spread over 68 districts in the country.

Singh asked the officials to prepare a blueprint of the proposed new strategy for tackling Left-wing extremism, which would be presented at the May 8 meeting.