Naxals making missiles in Chhattisgarh

Jagdalpur, Chhattisgarh, Feb 22 (UNI) Weapons such as missiles and rocket-launchers are being manufactured by Maoists in Chhattisgarh's tribal-dominated and naxalism-affected areas, Director-General of Police Vishwaranjan said today.

''As per information available with us, their experiments with such weapons are proving unsuccessful. Police constables and officers are being specially trained for guerilla warfare in forests. The Centre is dispatching five battalions for Chhattisgarh and those will reach by next month,'' he told mediapersons here.

Dantewada district would be developed under a pilot project to develop eight insurgency-affected districts in the country, the officer said adding that an announcement was made yesterday -- at Bhairamgarh -- to promote, out of turn, personnel confronting rebels. Seventeen ultras were neutralised on February 18.

UNI XC-AC 1736