In a significant development, the Chhattisgarh Assembly late on Thursday night passed State Auxiliary Force Bill to absorb Special Police Officers (SPOs) in the force.
Following this, the SPOs — tribal cops recruited on ad-hoc basis to fight Naxals in Bastar — have been disbanded as per the recent directive of the Supreme Court.
All the 6,000 SPOs will be absorbed in the proposed force, state home minister Nankiram Kanwar said.
The Bill has been drafted to suit SPOs for their induction in the auxiliary force. For an example, it has been made mandatory for an aspirant jawan of the force to know the local language and topography. The minimum educational qualification required for joining the force has also been lowered to Class 5. “The auxiliary force will now be raised in each district of insurgency-hit Bastar taking all former SPOs. Later, such forces will also be created for other regions in the state,” Mr Kanwar said.
A panel headed by local inspector-general of police (IG) will be formed to select the jawans.