The CPMF has left nothing to chance amidst fears of heightened Naxalite violence during the second phase of Assembly elections in the state on November 20.
NEW DELHI: In the face of “lack of cooperation” by the Chhattisgarh government on sharing intelligence with the central paramilitary forces (CPMF) regarding Naxalite movement in the state, the CPMF has left nothing to chance amidst fears of heightened Naxalite violence during the second phase of Assembly elections in the state on November 20.
Alarmed by the Naxalites successfully targeting a helicopter carrying polling staff during the run-up to the first phase of elections, a joint operational network of the BSF and CRPF is working overtime to rework redeployment of the security personnel to plug loopholes.
The director-generals of both the forces, accompanied by special secretary (Naxal operations) in the home ministry, air-dashed to Chhattisgarh for an on-the-spot assessment of the Naxal threat.
Director general, CRPF, VK Joshi has reportedly complained to the higher echelons of the ministry regarding lack of flow of vital intelligence from the state administration. Referring to the Naxal attack on an IAF helicopter on November 14, he said it could have been prevented had the state intelligence network shared the vital inputs about the Naxal presence in the area with the CPMF. The IAF pilots had expressed similar views and had blamed the local police for not providing prior information about the Naxal presence and failure to sanitise the helipad area.
On his part, Joshi had expressed fears of Naxal insurgents striking in a big way during the first phase of elections. The reports reaching the home ministry here suggest more such strikes on November 20 to thwart the poll process.
During the course of their visit to Raipur and some Naxal-affected areas, the Central delegation held discussions with the state authorities. Apart from redeployment, the question of requirement for additional troops also figured in the talks.
As it is, 17 battalions of the CRPF are permanently deployed on anti-Naxal operations. In addition to this, over 300 companies of CPMF have been provided to the state for election duties, a senior home ministry official said.
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