If the government asks the Army to set up a unified command and join the war against the Maoists, it could turn to the Rashtriya Rifles which has acquired considerable expertise in counter-insurgency operations in the thick forests of Jammu and Kashmir. A minimum of three operational sectors with three Army battalions posted in each could be put in place if the Army is ordered to directly confront the Maoists, sources said.
The Army is also considering boosting its manpower if it has to take charge of anti-Naxal operations since a quarter of the Army is already deployed in tackling insurgency in Jammu and Kashmir and the Northeast. An Army officer pointed out: “We are already overstretched by the current counter-insurgency operations and affected by a shortfall in the number of officers. But if the government orders us in, we have no choice.”
The Army is already providing training to paramilitary forces and is additionally planning to set up a special training school on the lines of the Counter-Insurgency and Jungle Warfare School at Wairangte in Mizoram. The training imparted there includes IED (explosives and land-mines)-neutralisation, operation of quick reaction teams and cordon and search operations.
For the past few days, the government has been weighing the “pros and cons” of deploying the armed forces in anti-Naxal operations.
Mr Chidambaram, during his visit to Chhattisgarh on Wednesday, is expected review the security situation in the state at a high-level meeting with Chhattisgarh chief minister Raman Singh, director-general of police Vishwa Ranjan, CRPF director-general Vikram Srivastava and other senior officials.