As Rainy Season Ends, Security Forces Gear Up for Kashmir-Like Operations in Naxal-Hit Areas

Naxal-hit areas in Chhattisgarh and Jharkhand may soon see Kashmir-like action by security forces, officials in the CRPF told News18.com, adding that the top brass has given the go-ahead to launch big operations in the affected areas with the rainy season coming to an end.

“The rainy season has ended. The message has been given to CoBRA, anti-Naxal specialised force, and chiefs of these areas to focus on big operations against Naxals. The operation will have the same aggression as what forces are doing in Kashmir. Soon, there would be some big operations,” a CRPF official told News18 on condition of anonymity.

Other paramilitary forces like ITBP and CISF deployed in Naxal-affected areas have also been told to closely monitor the movement of Naxals and plan operations. Similarly, top officials from the Centre will be visiting these Red Zone areas to check the preparedness of forces. Local police have also been briefed about the intention of the central government.

“Operations remain risky during the rainy season as there are chances of collateral damage. Forces were waiting for it to get over so that a large number of troops can enter on the ground from different locations and conduct anti-Naxal operations,” the official said.

The CRPF has also changed its strategy in Naxal-affected areas. “An input shared a few weeks ago says that Naxals have recently done recce of forces’ camps built recently. Also, their cadre are meeting locals secretly to influence them against forces and boycott government schemes,” the official said.

Earlier this year, the home ministry had told Parliament that incident of Left-Wing Extremism had gone down by 70% from an all-time high of 2,258 in 2009 to 665 in 2020.

“Similarly, resultant deaths (civilians + security forces) have reduced by 82% from all-time high of 1,005 in 2010 to 183 in 2020. The geographical spread of LWE violence has also been constricted. The districts reporting violence are reduced from 76 (2013) to 53 (2020),” the ministry had said.

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