SPOs fight Maoists for just Rs 1500

Dantewada, Chhattisgarh, Mar 16 (UNI) Thirty nine tribal youths, who were among those killed in the Naxalite attack at a police camp in South Bastar, were working as Special Police Officers (SPOs) on a honorarium of just Rs 1500 per month.

The SPOs get no other benefits. Now, the police has announced to provide a solatium of Rs two lakh each to the family of SPOs who had lost their lives in the Naxalite attack on a police camp at Ranibodli near Bijapur in Dantewada in the early hours yesterday.

They were among the more than 4,000 odd tribal youth, in the age-group of 18 to 25 years, who have been appointed as SPOs under provisions of the Police Act to act as scouts for the security forces in the sprawling shrub forests and hilly terrains of South Bastar.

Aware of the terrain and local dialect, these youth guide and assist the security forces in their operations in Dantewada district of South Bastar where the Communist Party of India (Maoists) have a very strong presence. A vast area of the region falls under the so-called ''liberated zone'' of Dandakaranya while the government administration terms it as an area '' dominated '' by the rebels.

Official sources said majority of tribal youth, who were appointed as SPOs, were earlier 'sangam members'- the local sympathisers of the rebels-- and they were well aware about the possible hideouts and tactics of the Maoists. They are also offered a moderate training to handle weapons before being pressed into service to take on the dreaded guerrillas.

Large scale appointments of local youth as SPOs began after June 2005 when the local tribals launched an anti-naxalite campaign, naming it ''Salwa Judum'' which in local Gondi dialect means peace mission.

'' SPOs are the backbone of the anti-naxalite operations. They mainly act as assistants to the main police force and also actively participate in the anti-rebel operations in their respective areas'', said a senior police officer engaged in anti-Maoist operations.

A large number of SPOs have also been deployed in 17 relief camps set up by the state government in South Bastar to accomodate more than 50,000 local people, who had deserted their native villages following threat from the Naxalites.

Human rights groups have been criticising that even children have become SPOs and the tribal youth are being used as 'human shields' in the armed conflict with the Maoists. However, the state government has been denying deployment of children as SPOs saying that tribal youth looked much younger than their actual age.

The state government is going ahead with its plans to appoint more SPOs, including those surrendered naxalites and sangam members, in order to further strengthen the security network in the naxalite areas, the sources said.

Meanwhile, in the state Legislative Assembly Chief Minister Raman Singh said that his government would consider providing insurance cover to the SPOs in the wake of incidents of attack on them.

UNI