Bastariya battalion comprising locals ready for Naxal dens

Tribune News Service

New Delhi, May 20

The much-awaited Bastariya battalion of the CRPF is ready for anti-Naxal operations in Chhattisgarh.

Numbered 241, this new battalion carries the moniker Bastariya battalion for the special reason that it comprises youths mostly scouted from the four highly Naxal-infested districts of Bijapur, Dantewada, Narayanpur and Sukma in Chhattisgarh, said CRPF Director General Rajeev Rai Bhatnagar.

Remarkable feature of the battalion is its adequate female representation, which is in sync with the government’s policy of 33 per cent reservation for them, he said.

Soon after the passing-out parade of the new recruits at Ambikapur in Chhattisgarh on May 21, Bastariya jawans will be deployed in core areas to add teeth to the anti-Naxal operations in Bastar division, he said. Of the sanctioned strength of 743 personnel for this innovative battalion, 739 were selected in the CRPF’s special recruitment drive between mid-October 2016 and January last year in the Bastar region.

A total of 534 recruits, including 189 women, underwent specialised training at Bilaspur and Ambikapur for over 44 weeks. The training included guerrilla warfare, camouflage, living off the land and all those tricks of the trade that involve jungle operations. These jawans will be deployed alongside the GD and CoBRA Battalions of the CRPF in the core areas of Chhattisgarh to fight Naxals.

The Bastariya battalion that came into existence in April last year has been created to enhance local representation in CRPF’s combat layout in Bastar, besides providing the Bastariya youths a fool-proof platform for employment. Height and weight requirements were relaxed to give a fair chance to the local aspirants during the recruitment drive.

The CRPF also walked an extra mile to provide pre-educational and physical training to local youths so as to maximise their ability and eligibility for induction into the special unit.

17 new CRPF camps in core areas  

• The CRPF has formed 17 new camps in Naxal-affected areas, including Sukma, Bijapur and Balrampur, of Chhattisgarh as part of its strategy to wipe out extremists from the state 
• As per the Inspector General of Police (CRPF Intelligence), Naxals are most active in their operations from January to July. Before the monsoon arrives, they go into hiding in interiors 
• Keeping this in view, the security forces have made a strategy to enter their den and eliminate them, said the officer