The death of 10 District Reserve Group (DRG) personnel and a civilian driver in a Maoist attack in Chhattisgarh’s Dantewada district on April 26 has put the spotlight on the special force formed a decade ago to carry out anti-Maoist operations.
This was the first instance of the DRG suffering heavy casualties in the Maoist-affected Bastar region. According to senior police officers and security personnel, casualties had been limited in the past in all major counter-insurgency operations because of the group’s familiarity with jungle warfare and the tough terrain of the region.
“The DRG has been in existence since 2013. According to latest information, the force has lost around 40 personnel in attacks, 3%-4% of the overall casualties suffered by security forces,” says Sundarraj P., Inspector General of Police (Bastar Range).
Since 2015, Mr. Sundarraj says, the force has been creating an impact by foiling attacks, and arresting and neutralising Maoists. Its efforts have allowed the State to venture deep into the forests and set up camps.
The DRG was formed on the lines of the C-60 in Maharashtra and the Jharkhand Jaguar to assist the State’s Special Task Force and the Central Commando Battalion for Resolute Action in tackling Maoists.
The force is vested with an exclusively operational role that is free of law and order, and investigative duties. Its personnel are posted in all seven districts of the Bastar region, other Maoist-affected areas like Rajnandgaon, and along the Chhattisgarh-Maharashtra border.
Many of the recruits are surrendered Maoists; former Special Police Officers of the Salwa Judum, an anti-Maoist civil militia disbanded in 2011; and belong to families that have faced Maoist attacks.
‘Strategic advantage’
“We are better equipped to deal with Maoists as knowledge about navigating dense forests gives us a strategic advantage. Intelligence gathering is also easy as we speak the local Gondi language,” says a DRG officer of the inspector rank who had joined the force in 2015 after surrendering as a Maoist in 2013.
Mr. Sundarraj says recruits from Bastar’s tribal regions and former Maoists enjoy age and height relaxations and are given allowances as they have to sometimes spend days in the jungle. “For example, the minimum height requirement is lowered from 160 cm to 158 cm,” he says.
The IGP adds that new recruits are posted as assistant constables and move up the chain of command as inspectors and sub-inspectors, while a Deputy Superintendent is in charge of the overall unit. “There are also ‘gopaniya sainiks’ who are tasked with gathering intelligence,” he says.
A women’s unit was formed four years ago and deployed in operations along with male colleagues. Complaints of misbehaviour against locals have “come down drastically” since the induction of women personnel, says the IGP.
‘Tribals vs tribals’
Veteran tribal leader from Chhattisgarh and former Union Minister Arvind Netam, and tribal rights activist Soni Sori acknowledge the gains the State has made through counter-insurgency operations, but say they also pit tribals against each other and fail to address the root cause of the Maoist problem.
“There is a higher percentage of tribals among the local population. It is natural that there would be more cooperation from them in anti-Maoist efforts. It is unfair to say that we are fielding tribals against tribals,” counters Mr. Sundarraj.
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