CRPF for joint anti-Maoist operations with State police

With coordination issues between Central and State forces being raised in the wake of the Dantewada massacre, the CRPF on Thursday said it is conducting anti-Maoist operations in close consultation with the Chhattisgarh police and a joint offensive will be carried out.

“We will do our planning in close consultation with the State DGP and the State officers. We will have good coordination with them and it will be a joint plan,” CRPF Director General Vikram Srivastava said referring to the intensification of the anti-Maoist operations.

Issues relating to coordination among police forces were at the centre of Union Home Minister P. Chidambaram’s discussions with the officials of the Chhattisgarh police and paramilitary forces during his visit to the State on Wednesday in the aftermath of the killing of 75 CRPF men and one policeman by the Maoists in Dantewada.

While at a press conference, the Home Minister had maintained there was no lack of coordination, official sources had said that during a closed-door meeting with functionaries of the two forces, Mr. Chidambaram had spared none and asked them to show greater coordination and understanding during operations in the thick jungles of Dantewada.

On coordination, Mr. Srivastava said that there was no difficulty as far as the CRPF was concerned and that it “is as desired.”

“There is no problem in coordination. The state officers never command the field commanders. They are in touch in a coordinated way,” he said.

Deputy Inspector General of Police, Dantewada S.R.P. Kalluri had during media interactions on Tuesday claimed that the State police was not aware of CRPF movement in the jungles.

Mr. Srivastava said the CRPF contingent, which was attacked by the Maoists, was on an area domination duty and the men fought bravely. “We will contain this problem,” he said.