Naxals are fighting a losing battle: New CRPF DIG

Stressing that Naxals shunning the path of violence is just a matter of time, a top Central Reserve Police Force official on Tuesday appealed to the people from insurgency-hit areas to stand up against militancy.

K P Singh, who recently took charge as the deputy inspector general of police of CRPF in the Naxal-infested district of Gadchiroli in Maharashtra, told PTI that his optimism stems from effective policing techniques being adopted by agencies.

"The armed struggle by Maoists is on the wane. They will have to shun violence and join the mainstream. In fact, the rebels are fighting a losing battle. They will soon have to come to the negotiating table," Singh said.

Singh took over from Satish Khandare, who was transferred in the wake of the Pustola incident in March, in which 14 CRPF troopers were killed in a landmine blast by the ultras.

"In fact, people should protest against the Naxal violence. The militancy in Punjab was eliminated due to public support," he pointed out.

The DIG, who heads six CRPF battalions, including the elite CoBRA battalion, justified the deployment of paramilitary forces to contain the menace.

"The Naxal insurgency has now become a law and order problem and thus falls under the police's domain," he said, adding that the effectiveness of policing must not be gauged by the number of casualties suffered by the forces at the hands of the Naxals.

Singh informed that more than 30 Naxal cadres and as many number of the sympathisers have been apprehended in the last few months.