Additional Director General (Naxal operations) Ram Niwas said that a police team of 145 troopers was on a search operation in the Chintalnaar area, when the Naxals struck.
Differences between the Home and Defence ministries on the use of special forces of the Army and setting up of a unified command centre for anti-Naxal operations today came to the fore at the Cabinet Committee on Security meet on Thursday, which ended without any decision being taken.
Major changes in the Central Reserve Police Force's operational strategies are underway following the recent setback against Naxals, especially in Dantewada where it lost over 75 personnel. The post of CRPF Inspector General of Police (Operations) is likely to be created in every state where the force is deployed for anti-Naxal operations, official sources said.
At least 12 Maoists have been killed in the massive anti-Naxal operation launched jointly by security forces of Jharkhand and Orissa since Saturday in Saranda forest, a top police official said on Monday. Jharkhand Director General of Police Neyaz Ahmad said that ten to 12 Maoists have been killed since Saturday.Meanwhile, the Maoists blew up a hostel and panchayat bhawan at Anandpur and triggered three landmine blasts in the Tirilposhi jungle today morning.
Anti-landmine vehicles used by security forces in Naxal operations are undergoing major changes in their armour content and ergonomics to withstand huge blasts and minimise loss of troop lives.
Unmanned Aerial Vehicles, used by United States' forces to track down Taliban militants, successfully flew over the dense forests of Bastar in Chhattisgarh in the first trial run for anti-Naxal operations.
The Bihar government said it would further intensify anti-Naxal operations and rescue searches for the four abducted policemen, even as Maoists set an ultimatum to release their eight jailed cadres by Wednesday, failing which they would kill all the captives.
As Maoist menace continued to be unabated, the government is all set to launch the much-awaited full-fledged anti-Naxal operations at three different areas, considered tri-junctions of the worst Naxal-affected states.
Two Border Security Force jawans and a civilian driver were killed when Naxals blew up their vehicles in Maoist-hit Sukma district of Chhattisgarh on Tuesday.
As the government continues to weigh options of fighting Naxalism more effectively, the army has offered to send Colonel-rank officers to the Union home ministry on deputation for advise in anti-Maoist operations.
Amid proposals for using helicopters for movement of paramilitary forces during anti-Naxal operations, the Indian Air Force has suggested to the government that its 15 choppers deputed for UN peacekeeping forces may be called back as it has constraints of resources.
In a major anti-Naxal operation, seven Maoists were killed in Betkathi village in Maharashtra's Gondia district in the wee hours on Tuesday.
For the first time, anti-Naxal forces are to be deployed in Assam and Uttar Pradesh. According to senior Union home ministry officials, 65 underground members of the CPI (Maoist) were arrested in UP between 2005 and August 15 this year.
Indian Air Force chief Air Chief Marshal P V Naik on Wednesday expressed his unwillingness to use the air force in ongoing anti-Naxal operations, saying the situation has not worsened so much merit military action.
Three Naxals were killed on Tuesday in a gun-battle with security forces in Chhattisgarh's worst insurgency-hit Sukma district.
Maoists triggered a blast on a stretch of land along the railway track between Midnapore and Godapia Sal stations in West Midnapore district of West Bengal in the wee hours on Monday as the 48-hr bandh called by them began.
The inter-state anti-Naxal operation, along the Jharkhand-West Bengal border, has led to the unearthing of administrative and military units of the Naxals.The operation, which started on Tuesday evening, is a result of several months of planning, and is being lead by over 4,000 central forces including the Special Action Force of the Central Reserve Police Force, besides local police teams of the two states.
In a fresh strategy to combat the Naxal menace, the government on Wednesday asked Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, Orissa and West Bengal to create a unified command for anti-Maoist operations and to appoint a retired major general of the army as its member.
When asked for a confirmation, BSF Director General M L Kumawat said: "The BSF has earlier played a leading role in anti-Naxal operations. We may go to Naxal-hit areas whenever ordered."
Maoists blew up a school building at Manjiladih in Jharkhand's Giridih district on Monday night, the police said.
Official sources in the Home Ministry said there will be a trial run of UAVs from next week in which Army may also be roped in because of their expertise in such kind of operations.
The CRPF is also looking at the second option of inducting a new company (around 125 men) into the 62nd battalion to be deployed in the dense jungles of Chhattisgarh to undertake anti-Naxal operations.
Unmanned Aerial Vehicles will be used for the first time to detect Naxal hideouts in dense forests and hilly terrains and monitor the movement of ultras to help ground forces carry out precision attacks.
The CRPF and local police on anti-Naxal operations perform a thankless job but a few basic counter-insurgency measures could have prevented the deadly Dantewada attack, writes B Raman.
Over 600 bullets and a dozen improvised explosive devices recovered after a gunbattle.
On a visit to Maoist-affected states of Chattisgarh and Jharkand, Union Home Minister P Chidambaram on Friday said there is no move to involve the army in the fight against Naxals who pose the "gravest challenge."
Officials said while two commandos, identified as constables Linju N and Fateh Singh had succumbed to their bullet injuries on Thursday, their collegaue Lakshman Singh died on Friday.
Seven policemen were on Sunday killed and 2 others injured when Naxals carried out a landmine blast in Maharashtra's Gadchiroli district.
The Centre on Wednesday announced ex-gratia payment of Rs 15 lakh for kin of each of the 75 Central Reserve Police Force men killed in the Naxal attack on Tuesday in Chattisgarh's Dantewada district.
The Centre on Tuesday ruled out use of air power in the fight against Naxalites and admitted obviously some element of failure in the operations led to the killing of 75 security personnel in Chhattisgarh.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi strongly condemned the attack.
Officers from the rank of Deputy Inspector General (DIG) up to the top-most rank of Director General (DG) in these four forces retired after attaining the age of 60.
The forces, especially those involved in counter insurgency and anti-Naxal operations besides those guarding the border heaved a sigh of relief after the Centre recently accepted their demand of restoring the old pension scheme with retrospective effect. Five years ago, the government had framed rules which did not entitle jawans recruited in central police forces after 2004, to pension benefits.
The state witnessed 87 Naxal-related incidents between July and December, as against 63 during the corresponding period in 2006, according to official figures made available by the state police headquarters in Patna.
At least 13 security personnel were killed on Friday when Naxals triggered a blast and then opened fire on a patrol party near Tongada village, bordering Andhra Pradesh, in the Maoist-affected district of Bijapur in Chhattisgarh. The patrol party, comprising 21 police personnel, was returning from Terla village when the rebels unleashed the attack.
Nine persons, including five policemen, were killed and as many were wounded as CPI-Maoist rebels carried out simultaneous attacks on a police station and an outpost in Rohtas district.
In a major haul, security forces seized 400 kg of local explosives and over 1,700 detonators during an anti-Naxal operation in poll-bound Jharkhand on Monday.
Naxals have called a bandh in Gadchiroli and Gondia districts of Maharashtra on July 15 to protest the killing of fellow women in recent encounters.
Central Reserve Police Force Deputy Commandant and five-time gallantry medal winner P R Mishra has become the only person from paramilitary forces to have been decorated with a Shaurya Chakra this Independence day for displaying exemplary courage in anti-Naxal operations.
The STF, which will be similar to the 'Grey Hounds' of neighbouring Andhra Pradesh, will be imparted advanced training in commando operations and jungle warfare to take on the Maoist rebels in the dense forests.
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