The proposals placed before the Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS) on Thursday included deploying the Army’s bomb-disposal squads in de-mining operations in anti-Naxal areas, assistance of the Army’s special forces commandos in undertaking precision strikes against Naxals, formation of a unified command to tackle the Naxals, and increasing the use of IAF choppers for transportation of paramilitary forces besides casualty-evacuation.
Both the Army and the IAF are also wary about Naxal attacks on their helicopters and have sought clarifications on its use.
The Army is also hesitant to deploy its personnel for any anti-Naxal duties unless the Armed Forces Special Powers Act is in force.
The Army is keen that any deployment of its personnel could only be done if the Naxal-infested areas are declared as “disturbed areas”.
However, the home ministry has no such plans of making any declaration of this sort. Besides, the ministry of defence and the armed forces have long taken a stand that the armed forces should not be deployed in anti-Naxal operations.
For one, the Army is already deployed extensively in counter-insurgency operations in J&K and the north-east and further deployment in internal security duties will severely over-burden it besides affecting its operational preparedness. The IAF, meanwhile, is worried about collateral damage to civilians in case the IAF is ordered to deploy attack choppers.
The home ministry, on the other hand, is keen on a role for the armed forces in anti-Naxal operations but is receptive to the argument that the Army should not lead the assault on the Naxals.
The Army currently extends training to paramilitary forces for anti-Naxal operations. Sources said that the MoD and the Army are also circumspect about the other possible roles that the government could be envisaging.
The Army is believed to have made it clear that their teams would require the backing of a strong local intelligence set-up as well as its own personnel to help secure such areas first. Use of the Army’s Special Forces commandos in an active anti-Naxal role could also pitchfork the Army in the forefront of the anti-Naxal operations, something that the MoD and the Army are trying to steer clear of.
Sources in the security establishment also said that raising of more battalions of the Rashtriya Rifles or the Assam Rifles will be a better option in case of deployment for anti-Naxal duties rather than pressing existing battalions into the operations.
Meanwhile, the home ministry has also sought additional funds under the Security-Related Expenditure (SRE) scheme to help the Naxal affected states improve their logistics and infrastructure to tackle the Maoist menace.
The CCS is believed to have agreed that maximum support has to be lent to states to augment their capacity in the fight against the rebels.