CRPF ASKS FOR RS 1,100 CRORE AS STATE’S SHARE

With the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) facing a tough time due to acute drainage of resources, it has slapped a bill of whopping Rs 1,100 crore on the Odisha Government to pay its share of expenses for the security duties.

While the State Government is asking for more battalions of Central paramilitary forces to handle the Maoist menace, the CRPF authorities have demanded this huge payment.

Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik has been opposing such move by the CRPF on the plea that it is a joint effort by the State and Centre to combat the threat of internal security by the Leftwing Extremists (LWE)s.

While the Union Government deploys Army Battalions in Jammu & Kashmir, it never slaps any pay-up slips for security duties, why the CRPF is allowed to ask for funding from other States, wondered a senior State Government official.

Odisha is having 17 battalions of Central Armed Paramilitary Forces (CAPF) consisting CRPF, CoBRA and BSF deployed in the Maoist regions. The State is asking for more Central forces on the borders of Chhattisgarh.

Two additional battalions of CAPF are required for matching deployment in Nuapada, Bargarh and Balangir districts and effective anti-Maoist Operations. But the CRPF authorities have been sending constant reminders for payment to be made through the Union Ministry of Home Affairs.

The State Government feels that it has hardly any scope to pay the amount as the Union Government has been sending the CAPF without any such prior stipulations, said a senior State officer.

However sources in the CRPF said the States are supposed to pay 60 per cent of the expenditure incurred and they are just not fulfilling their commitments, for which the CRPF is facing acute shortage of funds to carry on its jobs.

Source: http://www.dailypioneer.com/state-editions/bhubaneswar/crpf-asks-for-rs-1100-crore-as-states-share.html

CRPF plants 1,000 saplings in Delhi on World Environment Day

Paramilitary force CRPF has planted 1,000 saplings in the national capital to mark the World Environment Day today.

The plantation drive was undertaken by the 46th battalion of the force deployed here.

"The drive was undertaken in Mayur Vihar and neighbouring areas where the force personnel live. A total of 1,000 saplings have been planted by our staff in the last few days," Central Reserve Police Force Commanding Officer Sudhir Kumar said.

Source: http://www.business-standard.com/article/pti-stories/world-environment-day-crpf-plants-1-000-saplings-in-delhi-114060501445_1.html

Kanglei Yawol Kanna Lup man surrenders to CRPF

Imphal, June 02 2014: A self-styled 2nd Lieutenant of the banned underground outfit Kanglei Yawol Kanna Lup (KYKL) today laid down arms and surrendered to the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF).

The surrendered cadre identified as Loitongbam Indrajit Meetei alias Suraj, s/o L Singabi Meetei of Lakhinagar Ward No.1, Golaghat, Assam, surrendered himself with one .22 pistol, two live rounds, one HE-31 grenade and one detonator.

A homecoming ceremony attended by various high ranking officials of CRPF and Manipur Police was organized today at CRPF Group Centre, Langjing in honour of the surrendered cadre.

Inspector General of CRPF (Manipur & Nagaland Sector) Dr NC Asthana welcomed the surrendered cadre and appreciated him for joining the mainstream by laying down arms.

IGP, Manipur KT Vaiphei and IG of Law and Order Clay Kgingsai were also present during the home coming ceremony.

Source: http://e-pao.net/GP.asp?src=25..030614.jun14

Drones monitor Maoist movement

An unmanned aerial vehicle used by the CRPF in Bihar. Picture by Sanjay Choudhary

Patna, May 29: Two drones were pressed into service in the past couple of days to monitor Maoist movement in areas considered inaccessible for security forces in the state.

A source in the police headquarters said Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) used the drones — unmanned aerial vehicles — in anti-Maoist operations in Aurangabad, Gaya and Jamui districts. The operation was conducted on Tuesday and Wednesday in dense forests and hilly terrains, including Aurangabad’s Chanho forest area.

The ministry of home affairs has provided the drones to the state to conduct anti-Maoist operations. They were used to contain activities of the rebels in Chhattisgarh and Andhra Pradesh.

A CRPF officer said: “For the first time, drones are being used for anti-Maoist operations in Bihar. Though the CRPF have had the devices for long, they were not being used properly.”

Equipped with global positioning system (GPS), the drones relay real-time location, movement of Maoists and conversation on the ground.

CoBRA (Commando Battalion for Resolute Action) deputy commandant T.P. Singh said the drones made sorties in Aurangabad, Gaya and Jamui district. These districts have recorded the most number of Maoist incidents in the recent past. He revealed that the drones had been pressed into service to keep an eye on Maoists’ movements in their strongholds in the north Bihar plains and forest areas of south and central Bihar.

The Chakarbandha forests in Gaya’s Dumaria block still posed a stiff challenge for the security forces, but Singh said they would focus on the areas soon. “It is easier to carry out operations in the plains than in the hilly terrain. Chances of encounter with the Naxalites are more in the hilly terrain,” Singh added.

A senior officer associated with the anti-Maoist operations said after the induction of the drones, the security personnel have been able to pick up conversation on the ground and movement of the Maoists. “The drones flash real-time images of the movement and conversation of the Maoists and send the data immediately to the commandos. We can also get pictures of the exit routes of the rebels with the help of the drones and take action accordingly,” the officer said.

In 2013, as many as 42 civilians and 27 security personnel were killed in anti-Maoist operations. Senior officers said the drones would allow the security forces to further crack down upon Maoists.

Inspector-general (operations) Amit Kumar said at least 36 Maoist leaders, had been arrested in the state recently. Santosh Ram, an alleged Maoist involved in the murder of a police officer in 2009, was arrested from Muzaffarpur today.

He added: “We have been able to catch several Maoists evading arrest for decades. Since most of the incidents have been reported from Jamui, Aurangabad and Gaya districts, our focus is to contain the rebels’ activities in those areas first.”

The CRPF has been assigned the task to combat Naxalism in the country. Sources said 23 companies of the CRPF and two CoBRA companies have been deployed in Bihar for anti-Maoist operations.

Source: http://www.telegraphindia.com/1140530/jsp/odisha/story_18416868.jsp#.U4fmc9yaW-c

Don’t let tainted MPs enter House: Plea in court

A city court has ordered issuance of notices to the Delhi Police commissioner, Central government and heads of paramilitary forces after a Delhi resident sought a restrain order on elected MPs with criminal backgrounds from entering Parliament.

The petition, by Satyavir Singh, calls for restraining “the defendants from providing security to criminal MPs, who have been elected in the Lok Sabha elections held in April-May 2014…”

The petition further prays that “MPs who have criminal cases against them should not be allowed/permitted to enter Parliament, otherwise strict action be taken against the defendants as per law…” The notices were issued by Additional Civil Judge Prakash Sharma.

Among the paramilitary forces whose chiefs have been issued notices are the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF), Sashastra Seema Bal (SSB), Border Security Force (BSF), Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) and Central Industrial Security Force (CISF).

The next date of hearing has been fixed on July 25. The petition, filed on Saturday, cited media reports alleging that some of the MPs elected to Parliament have criminal pasts.

“As per the Constitution of India, no corrupt person or a person having a criminal case is entitled to contest the election… In that situation (if an MP with a criminal past is elected), how can fair rule and administration be expected from the criminal because he will misuse his power by sitting in Parliament. Not only this, the defendants will provide them security for their protection even when they are already criminals and not entitled for the same,” the petition states.

Source: http://indianexpress.com/article/cities/delhi/dont-let-tainted-mps-enter-house-plea-in-court/

Court notice on CRPF bodybuilders' plea

New Delhi, May 22 (IANS) The Delhi High Court Thursday issued notice to the central government and the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) on a plea filed by the bodybuilding team of the paramilitary force against the decision to disband them.

Justice Reva Khetrapal and Justice Pratibha Rani sought response from the home ministry and the CRPF and posted the matter for Sep 23.

On May 16, the CRPF disbanded its bodybuilding team saying that the sport did not come under 'All India Sport' category.

The aggrieved bodybuilders, many of whom are reigning and former national and international medal holders, moved the high court for direction to allow them to participate in various bodybuilding competitions as part of the CRPF team.

The players have contended that they were selected in the CRPF under the sport quota, which meant they were only to participate in bodybuilding championships, the plea said.

The CRPF notification disbanded its body building and rugby team and dispatched all the players of the two sports to their respective units to perform normal duties.

The players, however, contended that it was factually incorrect as bodybuilding was duly recognized by the sports ministry, the Sports Authority of India and the Indian Olympic Association.

Source: https://in.news.yahoo.com/court-notice-crpf-bodybuilders-plea-160803204.html

Intel wing for the CRPF: Not the Right Move

“In today's changed circumstances, CRPF needs to have its own intelligence wing.”

“We are in the process of forming an intelligence wing. The work is going on.”

Unless stated otherwise, the above two innocuous statements would appear to be parts of the same speech. However, while the first is a quote from a December 2005 media interview by Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF)’s the then Director General (DG) J K Sinha, the second is an extract from the organisation’s DG K Vijay Kumar’ statement in April 2011. CRPF DGs apart from Mr. Sinha and Mr. Kumar, each of them, during their tenure, making similar statements regarding the ‘necessity’ of and ‘progress’ towards achieving the goal of setting up a ‘home-grown’ intelligence wing. However, such protracted yearning notwithstanding, the formation of such a wing is unlikely to augment the CRPF capacities in any significant manner, will merely add to the multiple agencies that roughly do similar work and more importantly, militate against the spirit of an efficient national security architecture.

Even prior to being designated as the country’s lead counter-insurgency (COIN) force, following the 1998 Kargil war, the CRPF, India’s largest Central Armed Police Force (CAPF), performed COIN duties in Jammu & Kashmir and the Northeast. The intensification of left-wing extremism, which took CRPF’s 60 battalions to unknown territories, positioned them against barely identifiable enemies and called for a drastic modification in its war fighting approach, made the task even harder. CRPF were soon to discover that the flow and quality of ground level intelligence provided by the existing agencies are clearly short of its operational requirements.

This assessment prodded the CRPF to make the first ever proposal to the MHA for an internal intelligence wing in 2005. The then Home Minister Shivraj Patil’s approval notwithstanding, the Finance Ministry shut down the proposal citing financial crunch. It further questioned the rationale of such an effort when each of the states of the country has its own intelligence wing. The CRPF, however, went on to select about 10 personnel from each of its battalions to gather intelligence locally. This wing, without official designation, consisted of about 1250 personnel. Speaking in September 2006, the then DG J K Sinha even hinted that the wing will be made operational the same month. Fresh opposition kicked in and the plan never took off.

However, the CRPF did not dismantle its unofficial intelligence wing and continued to deploy these personnel in conflict theatres. At least on one reported occasion, two such CRPF personnel gathering ground level intelligence were killed by the militants in Kashmir in May 2008. The existing wing appeared to have undergone a minor expansion in the following years. According to an August 2010 media report the CRPF further trained 30-40 of its men for eight months in intensive intelligence gathering and deployed them in the Naxal-hit areas and other theatres of operation.

The ongoing demand for an intelligence wing by the CRPF, thus, amounts to institutionalising and expanding the existing wing within the organisation. An official recognition would translate into dedicated money and resources for the existing motley wing, in addition to and not a subtraction from the CRPF’s annual budget (2010-11) of Rs. 7827.32 crore.    

   

At one level, it is difficult to disagree with the CRPF’s assessment of the ground level intelligence gathering institutions, especially in the Naxal hit states. The expansion of the Naxal influence in India rides heavily on a highly successful effort on part of the Communist Party of India-Maoist (CPI-Maoist) to disrupt the existing intelligence gathering set up. Not just that an enveloping atmosphere of fear has drastically confined the police personnel to the relative safety of the police stations and limited their intelligence gathering capacities, the Maoist systematic campaign against the ‘police informers’ has further discouraged the voluntary submission of information by previously willing civilian population. Of the 190 civilians killed by the Naxals this year (till 14 June), 72 were branded as police informers. Such killings, mostly following a process in conviction in Kangaroo courts, is a mere continuation of the trend, which saw the death of 211 and 323 such ‘police informers’ in 2009 and 2010 respectively. In addition, the CPI-Maoist continues to destroy telephone exchanges and towers disrupting security force communication. As a result, intelligence flow from the ground to the security forces has either become non-existent, or at best, sketchy and unreliable.

Of late, fatalities among the CRPF personnel have risen steadily. The organisation lost 67 personnel in 2008 and 70 personnel in 2009 during its country-wide deployments. The figure almost skyrocketed in 2010, when over 150 of its personnel got killed in the Naxal theatres alone. The ill-informed media narratives notwithstanding, not all killed personnel could have been saved with good intelligence.

The pressure to limit the body bags has mounted on the CRPF authorities and in turn, it is ending up in accentuating its yearning for an exclusive intelligence wing. The spats certain CRPF officials have had with state police officials in Chhattisgarh over availability (or the lack of it) of precise intelligence inputs, has further pushed the organisation to be self-reliant in matters of collecting ground level intelligence.

However, setting up this new wing may not be a solution at all to the organisation’s woes.

Firstly, it is difficult to understand how exactly the new wing will create a new set or subset of data and information, which is qualitatively better than those generated by the existing agencies. Although the senior CRPF officials locate their failure thus far to set up the intelligence wing in the objections raised by the Intelligence Bureau (IB), which is described to be antagonistic to its creation, one is not sure if the CRPF’s Intel wing, with its limited manpower and resources, will be able to compete with the IB at all.  

Secondly, the new wing, like any other intelligence gathering agencies, cannot be for the exclusive use of the CRPF and the organisation will have to share the data and information it generates with others. As a result, it will merely end up in being a parallel entity- the third agency in most states where the IB and the Police collect intelligence, fourth agency in some where the Research and Analysis Wing (RAW) too is present and the fifth agency in few of the rest where the Military Intelligence (MI) too operates. The ongoing task of establishing synergy among the different agencies and facilitating seamless integration of intelligence, under the evolving counter-terrorism architecture, will certainly not get any easier by adding one more entity to the already crowded scene.

Thirdly, going by the logic of making the security agencies self-reliant, the IB and the RAW should have their armed wings, the National Security Guard (NSG) commandos should have their intelligence wing and perhaps the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) also should seek an armed wing for itself. The problem of augmenting the quality of intelligence generated and ensuring their flow to the forces who need them can be achieved by investing more on infrastructure generating technical intelligence (TECHINT) and also the Human Intelligence (HUMINT). Towards that direction, the IB’s budget needs to be raised and the huge vacancies in its field level personnel needs to be filled up rather than allocating fresh resources for the CRPF’s proposed intelligence wing.

Fourthly, answer to operational woes in the conflict theatres including the states affected by Naxal activities is police modernisation, of which improving intelligence gathering is a critical component. The COIN mechanism centred on grand war designs promotes a culture of centralisation at the cost of weakening the police stations and making them irrelevant. This trend needs to be reversed. Policies to revive policing and intelligence gathering need to factor in the critical need of improving the quality of police personnel at the lowest level of the system.

In short, remedy to the problem of inadequately performing institutions cannot be creation of new institutions, but enabling the existing organisations to perform.

By Bibhu Prasad Routray in www.claws.in

Central Armed Police Forces At A Glance

ASSAM RIFLES (AR)

Assam Rifles, India’s oldest paramilitary force of 46 battalions currently, officered by Army and some its cadre officers, though commanded only by Army officers, is under administrative control of the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA), but under operational control of Army for performing many roles including internal security counter insurgency and border security, aid to the civil power in times of emergency, and the provision of communications, medical assistance and education in remote areas. Since 2002 it has been guarding the India-Myanmar border under the government policy of “one border, one force”.

With Assam Rifles being under operational command of the Army, almost all its arms and equipment are on the lines of those of infantry battalions in plains and mountainous areas. In view of the mountain strike corps to be raised to counter the rising Chinese threat, there may be some more battalions added to its existing strength.

BORDER SECURITY FORCE (BSF)

The Border Security Force came into existence on 01 Dec 1965, under K F Rustamji, its first chief and founding father, with the aim of promoting a sense of security among the people living in border areas, preventing trans-border crimes, unauthorised entry into or exit from the territory of India and to prevent smuggling and any other illegal activity. Subsequently, BSF additionally began to be deployed for counter insurgency and internal security duties. Having participated in the Indo-Pak war of 1971, it has been involved  in fighting insurgency and militancy in Punjab, J & K and North- East, rescue and relief during calamities and since recently, also been deployed in the areas affected by Left Wing Extremism.

BSF has been defending the borders along with the Army and checking infiltration on the borders during the current standoff with Pakistan. From a force of 25 battalions in 1965, it has today 173 Battalions. With its own Air and Water Wings, Artillery Regiments and Training Institutes, BSF is presently the largest Border Guards force of the world.

In addition to the OFB small arms mentioned, BSF has Heckler & Koch MP5, A3 9mmx19 mm Sub Machine Gun and Beretta MX4 Storm submachine guns. To replace its camels in the Thar desert, BSF reportedly conducted trials of Polaris (USA) field vehicle Ranger 800, Ranger RZR 4-800, Ranger RZW SW and sportsman models in May 2013 and found it better than the Chinese Nebula and Indian Maini Group’s products tested earlier.

INDO-TIBETAN BORDER POLICE (ITBP)

Conceived in October 1962 – quite obviously as a result of the Chinese aggression – the Indo -Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) was raised for security along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) between India and China. Beginning with four battalions, it now has 57 battalions of 1000 personnel each deployed in all three segments of the LAC from Karakoram Pass in Ladakh till Jachep La in Arunachal Pradesh opposite the Tibet Autonomous Region of China. In view of the additional responsibilities and the task redefined in 1976, the Force was restructured in 1978. It is a specialized mountain force with most of its personnel professionally trained as mountaineers and skiers.

Owing to the very challenging terrain, temperature and weather conditions, under modernisation ITBP needs better sleeping bags, better snow boots, snow scooters, battlefield surveillance radars, satellite-based surveillance systems, real time imagery systems, cameras mounted on towers overlooking heights and ridges, windmills, which the high velocity winds can move to generate electricity and more infrastructure. One weapon ITBP has acquired apart from the OFB list is the UTG Gen 5 Accushot Competition Master Model 700 Pro with Upgraded Bolt FPS-450 Spring Airsoft Sniper Rifle, and US-made UTG brand product.

SASHASTRA SEEMA BAL (SSB)

Sashastra Seema Bal (SSB) was raised in early 1963 with the aim of inculcating feelings of national belonging in people living in the border areas like then North East Frontier Agency (NEFA), North Assam, North Bengal, Uttar Pradesh hills, Himachal Pradesh, and Ladakh. The scheme was later extended to Manipur, Tripura, Jammu (1965), Meghalaya (1975), Sikkim (1976), border areas of Rajasthan and Gujarat (1989), Manipur, Mizoram. Some more areas of Rajasthan and Gujarat (1988), South Bengal, Nagaland (1989) and Nubra Valley, Rajouri and Poonch district of Jammu and Kashmir (1991) were added too.  The modus was developing their capabilities for resistance through a continuous process of motivation, training, development, welfare programmes and activities. Following the recommendations of the Group of Ministers on reforming the National Security System, the SSB was declared as a border guarding force and lead intelligence agency for Indo-Nepal border (January, 2001) and Indo-Bhutan border (March, 2004).

Addressing one of the main concerns of the SSB for providing authorised infrastructure, in July 2013, the Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA) approved construction of infrastructure, namely office buildings, residential buildings and Border Out Posts (BOPs), at various establishments of the Sashastra Seema Bal (SSB) during the 12th Five Year Plan at the cost of Rs. 3,510.07 crore. This includes construction of barracks and non-residential buildings. In addition, the CCEA also approved construction of 2,000 houses and 10 barracks at 12 sites at an estimated cost of Rs. 413.88 crore.

CENTRAL RESERVE POLICE FORCE (CRPF)

The Central Reserve Police Force, which came into existence as Crown Representative’s Police on 27th July 1939, became the Central Reserve Police Force by enactment of the CRPF Act on 28th December 1949. The Force has grown into a big organization with 207 battalions (bns), including 181 executive bns, 2 Mahila (Women) bns, 10 Rapid Action Force (RAF) bns, 6 Cobra bns (Commando Battalion for Resolute Action-special battalions raised mainly for anti-Maoist operations), 2 DM (NDRF) bns, 5 Signal bns and 1 Special Duty Group bn, 37 Group Centres,   11 Training Institutions and 4 composite 100 bed and 17 composite 50 bed hospitals.

CRPF has sent a proposal to MHA for integral helicopters, better quality of anti-landmine vehicles and more unmanned aerial vehicles.

CENTRAL INDUSTRIAL SECURITY FORCE (CISF)

The CISF raised in 1969 with three battalions, to provide integrated security cover to the Public Sector Undertakings (PSUs) over  four decades, has grown to reach 1,12,000 personnel, amounting to at least 110 battalions. No longer a PSU-centric organisation, the CISF has become a premier multi-skilled security agency, mandated to provide security to major critical infrastructure installations of the country in diverse areas. CISF is currently providing security cover to nuclear installations, space establishments, airports, seaports, power plants, sensitive Government buildings and even heritage monuments. Among important responsibilities entrusted to the CISF in recent years are the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (for which 4000 more personnel have been recently authorised), VIP Security, Disaster Management and establishment of a Formed Police Unit (FPU) of the UN at Haiti.

With diverse challenges, CISF needs a far wider inventory of equipment as per its tasks mentioned. Delhi airports’ Perimeter Intrusion Detection System has been installed by Israel. The CISF also needs more and improved night vision devices and a separate firefighting wing to better fire- protect 88 PSUs it guards.

NATIONAL SECURITY GUARD (NSG)

The National Security Guard (NSG) was set up in 1984 as a Federal Contingency Deployment Force to tackle all facets of terrorism in the country. Thus the primary role of this Force is to combat terrorism in whatever form it may assume in areas where activity of terrorists assumes serious proportions, and the State Police and other Central Police Forces cannot cope up with the situation. The NSG is a Force specially equipped and trained to deal with specific situations and is therefore, to be used only in exceptional situations. The Force is not designed to undertake the functions of the State Police Forces or other Para Military Forces of the Union of India.

The NSG was modelled on the pattern of the SAS of the UK and GSG-9 of Germany. It is a task-oriented Force and has two complementary elements in the form of the Special Action Group (SAG) comprising Army personnel and the Special Ranger Groups (SRG), comprising personnel drawn from the Central Para Military Forces / State Police Force. All the personnel are on deputation.

Just 800 helmets for 85,000 jawans

How red tape is endangering the lives of CRPF men fighting the Maoist insurgency

The Maoist insurgency boiling out of India's tribal heartland has been called the greatest threat to the nation by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh. 

But that's about it, as Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) personnel leading the drive to counter the Maoist rebels remain handicapped by a severe shortage of basic life-saving gear like bulletproof helmets. 

The CRPF, the main force responsible for tackling the Maoist insurgency, has only 800 such helmets against the sanctioned 50,000, highly placed sources told Mail Today.

The March 3 attack at Sukma in Chhattisgarh, in which 15 security personnel, including 11 from the CRPF, were gunned down, is a chilling reminder of this criminal neglect: sources said most of the deaths were caused by bullet injuries to the head. 

Officials who have served on the ground said head injuries are one of the most common causes of death. "It's the head which is exposed when a soldier takes his position and tries to fire at the enemy in combat," said one officer.

The Sukma bloodbath has finally roused the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) from its slumber. The ministry has decided to fast-track the acquisition of bulletproof helmets for the CRPF. 

"In the wake of the recent attack and keeping in mind the threat perception ahead of the Lok Sabha polls, the matter has been expedited and soon the required number of bulletproof helmets will be provided to the CRPF," said an MHA official. 

Sources said that after the recent attack in Chhattisgarh, the CRPF reiterated its concerns to Home Secretary Anil Goswami. The force was assured that the bulletproof helmets would be provided "soon".

While the standard operating procedures of the Army clearly state that every soldier in insurgency- hit areas will be provided with a bulletproof helmet, the rules are different for jawans fighting the biggest insurgency in the country. In fact, sources said CRPF personnel fighting Maoists deep inside jungles are more vulnerable as compared to their counterparts taking on militants in Jammu and Kashmir or insurgents in the North-east. 

A plan to push the rebels to the backfoot ahead of the elections seems to have failed with Maoists killing over 20 security personnel in the past three weeks in Chhattisgarh. Six personnel were killed in an attack in Dantewada district on February 28. MHA officials concede that "red tape and bureaucratic lethargy" are responsible but can't help pinning part of the blame on paramilitary forces. 

"They often send a list of big demands and it is realised later that the equipment sought is not being put to use. As a flip side to this, some genuine and most basic requirements are ignored," said an official. The CRPF, with a strength of nearly 2.9 lakh, has the greatest presence in states affected by Maoist violence, with 85,000 to 90,000 personnel serving in the red zone alone. 

Statistics also show that personnel are more vulnerable in Maoist zones than anywhere else in the country. The number of security personnel killed between 2011 and 2013 was 371 in states hit by Maoist violence.

The total number of incidents of violence in the red zone was 4,311. High intensity conflict hit zones like Jammu and Kashmir, Assam, and Manipur seem safer than Maoist bastions in Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh or Orissa, where the majority of killings of security personnel killings have occurred. 

The total death toll in all insurgency-hit areas during 2011-13 has been 239 and the number of incidents of violence stood at 3,123. The sources said besides bulletproof helmets, other basic requirements like jungle boots have not been provided for the past three years. There are also other problems like a financial crunch faced by paramilitary forces like the CRPF. As part of the police modernisation plan, the CRPF was allocated Rs918 crore for 2012-13 and 2013-14 but got only Rs20 crore. 

To make matters worse, states affected by Naxalite violence owe a whopping `7,163 crore to CRPF, which accounts for 60 per cent of the total amount of Rs11,930 crore that states have to pay to the force for internal security duties.

This is more than the total amount of Rs10,932 crore sanctioned for seven paramilitary forces under the police modernisation plan for a period of five years from 2012 to 2017, but the government has been reluctant to release the money.

SOP violation allowed if anti-Naxal ops demand: CRPF DG

New Delhi: The CRPF top boss Thursday said he has asked his troops deployed in anti-Naxal operations to even go to the extent of "violating" the Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) if such a diversion in rules is required for operational efficiency and safety of the men.

Dismissing suggestions that there was a contravention of set SOPs by his personnel during the March 11 Naxal ambush in Chhattiagarh's Sukma which killed 11 CRPF men and four others, CRPF Director General Dilip Trivedi told PTI that the incident will not deter the paramilitary, and the paramilitary force will be more "steadfast" in deploying their operational tactics in beating the Naxals.

"The top brass of the force cannot take away the initiative of the field commander. The commander on ground has to deploy his hunch and instinct while he is out in an operational area. I have told them that you can even violate the SOPs, provided that is in the interest of the operations and safety of troops," Trivedi said, a day after he returned to the national capital after touring the ambush area in south Bastar's Tongpal for an on-spot assessment.

He said the SOPs, in an operational area, are meant to be flexible keeping in mind the emerging and immediate threat and dynamic activity on the ground.

The Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) chief said the force headquarters has issued some fresh directives to commanders while operating in the Naxal affected areas.

"I will not go into the details of our operational tactics but yes we have told our men and officers that we should break the monotonous drills while rendering routine duties like that of road opening and frequently visiting an area.

"We have told them to keep flexibility in their operations so that their movement remains unknown till the last moment," the DG said.

Terming the latest ambush a "planned attack" by close to 200 Naxals, Trivedi said the Naxals used an assortment of looted police weapons like LMGs and SLRs to inflict causalities on the 45-personnel strong joint forces squad which was out early morning on Tuesday in one the most notorious Maoist violence affected areas of the state, which is in the 'Jeeram Ghati' area.

This is the same place where the ultras had killed the top leadership of state Congress last year in May.

Source: zeenews india 13/03/2014