Anti Naxal operation gets teeth with deployment of more forces

New Delhi / Raipur, Jan 2 (ANI): The anti -Maoist offensive has gathered momentum with the Union Home Ministry clearing the induction of more Central paramilitary forces into the operation.

According to sources, the Central police personnel who were deputed for the Jharkhand Assembly election duty have been diverted to conduct anti -Naxal operations.

Forces have been deployed in the area to prevent violence during the recently held assembly elections.

After a meeting with the Director Generals of Police of five Naxal affected states the Home Ministry reportedly agreed to depute 33 more battalions of the CPMFs to the anti Naxal offensive.

The Home Ministry has released the forces in support of the state police in the operations.

Earlier this week, the Centre deployed a fleet of 10 Advanced Light Helicopters (ALH) Dhruv to assist forces engaged in the anti Maoists operations.

The helicopters are stationed at Ranchi and Raipur.

The helicopters would be used both for transportation, evacuation of personnel as reinforcements for the operations and casualty evacuation purposes.

The Raipur based Operational Commander will be handling the air operations.

The ALH Dhruv helicopters recently inducted into the Border Security Force (BSF) air wing, stationed at Ranchi and Raipur are also likely to be pressed into the operation.

To bring down troop causalities and ensure immediate medical care over 80 specialist doctors have been appointed on a contract basis, who will be part of the anti-Naxal operations.

Meanwhile, it was reported that the combined force has initiated a flushing out operation in the Gadchiroli area of Maharashtra, which had seen a major attack on security forces in July 2009 in which 32 security personnel including a Superintendent of Police were killed.

The Home Ministry has stationed 25 battalions of central forces in Chhattisgarh and 11 in Jharkhand. West Bengal has been given five battalions, while Orissa, Andhra Pradesh and Bihar have got four battalions each of Central Para-Military Forces.

Maharashtra has been provided with three battalions of Central forces while Madhya Pradesh and UP have been sanctioned one battalion each. (ANI)