The Hindu : National : Centre to raise anti-naxalite force

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Centre to raise anti-naxalite force

Vinay Kumar

NEW DELHI: The Centre will raise a specialised 10,000-strong force, trained in jungle and guerrilla warfare to tackle naxalite violence.

The Home Ministry has prepared a detailed proposal and is awaiting Cabinet approval.

Picking up from the proposal made by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, at the Chief Ministers meeting here in December last, the Home Ministry held wide consultations on preparing a comprehensive plan for raising the force. The move assumes significance in the wake of the naxalite strikes in Malkangiri in Orissa recently and in Jharkhand on Monday.

Sources in the Ministry said that after Cabinet approval, it would take at least two years to raise and train all 10 battalions. “To meet this gap and kick-start the scheme, we have already asked the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) to devote two of its battalions purely for anti-naxalite operations. We will then need to freshly recruit and train men for raising eight battalions,” a senior official told The Hindu.

Envisaged on the lines of the “Greyhound,” a specialised strike force raised by the Andhra Pradesh government, the Central force would be trained by the Greyhound, the National Security Guards and other Central forces for 9-12 months before deployment in affected areas in Chhattisgarh, Orissa and Bihar. The headquarters of the 10 battalions have been identified and would be strategically located keeping in mind operational and logistic support.

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