The attack on central reserve police force (CRPF) that killed 14 personnel, including two middle rung officers, was in the offing as the force had launched operations deep into the Maoist hotbed beyond Chintagufa in Sukma district for the first time and it was based on sketchy Intelligence.
In a move to challenge the CPI (Maoist) in its most secured den also known as their capital, the CRPF had gone into operations mode since November 16 with 2,200 boots on the ground and in addition is being assisted by 250 plus jawans from the state police. It has set up 11 bases in Sukma to launch deep penetrating operations.
The fateful operation in which 14 CRPF personnel lost their lives took place some 12 kilometres further south from Chintagufa, an unchallenged and uncharted territory belonging to the Maoist, sources said.
In a highly successful strike the Maoist also managed to flee with 7 AK 47s, one SLR and one LMG. There are so far no reports of casualties on the Maoist's side.
"Operations in such areas should be planned immaculately as even a small leak can be highly counterproductive, as happened in the case of Monday's operation. The Maoists, already suffering from massive desertions among the lower rung cadres, would want to show their presence and strength," sources added.
Incidentally, despite being the biggest and most widely used central armed police force in counterinsurgency operations, the CRPF is headless since the retirement of Dilip Trivedi on Sunday. It also does not have an additional director general for operations since RK Pachnanda has been transferred to the central industrial security force (CISF).
Meanwhile, a senior police official involved in anti-Naxal operations told PTI on condition of anonymity that the deadly ambush, was planned and supervised by local Maoist leaders who were reportedly camping in south Bastar for past few days. "We received several inputs that dreaded Maoist leaders of Dandakaranya region were holding meeting in forests of south Bastar-Sukma, Bijpaur and Narayanpur, worried over large number of surrenders and arrest of their cadres during the past few months," the police official said. "We suspect that the attack was planned and carried out by the same group of leaders by taking the support of local lower rung supporters," he said.
'A national challenge'
Union home minister Rajnath Singh on Tuesday called Maoists a 'national challenge' which he said the government has accepted and will fight it. On a day-long visit to Chhattisgarh, a day after Maoists killed 14 CRPF personnel in Sukma district, he also announced a compensation of Rs38 lakh each to the kin of victims of the Maoist ambush and Rs65,000 each to the injured.
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