Major anti-Naxal offensive on cards
Prateek Chauhan
Tribune News Service
New Delhi, May 13
A major combing operation will be launched soon in Chhattisgarh’s Sukma district to wipe out the top Naxal leadership hiding in the forests. Taking an aggressive stand towards the Naxals, both Union and state governments have given a go-ahead for the operation.
Under this, additional 20-25 battalions of COBRA, a specialised unit of the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF), are being sent to Chhattisgarh. Forces will also use drones and satellites on a large scale, for which the National Technical Research Organisation and Indian Space Research Organisation have been roped in.
Naxals try to conduct major strikes before monsoon each year. During monsoon, thick vegetation makes it hard both for Naxals and security forces to conduct operations.
A senior CRPF officer said the pre-monsoon season is most suited for the operation and that is why the forces want to carry out the operation at the earliest.
For this, 20-25 additional battalions are being sent to Naxal-hit Bustar and Sukma districts. One battalion comprises 100 personnel. As many as 44 Cobra battalions are currently deployed in Chhattisgarh.
Expressing the need to deploy additional troops, another officer said COBRA personnel were especially trained for operations in forests. The local police have been asked to provide intelligence. Drone and satellite imagery would be used to track Naxalite movement and the information would be passed on to the personnel on the ground.
Last month, 25 jawans were killed in a Naxal attack in Sukma. On March 11, another 12 CRPF men were killed in a similar attack. This prompted the Centre to convene a meeting of CMs to analyse the strategy against Naxals.
