State police forces to lead anti-Naxal operations

NEW DELHI: Clearly demarcating the role of the state police and central paramilitary forces (CPMFs) in anti-Maoist operations, the new counter-Naxal doctrine drafted by Union home minister Rajnath Singh proposes to put state police forces in the lead, while tasking CPMFs with using their pan-Indian mandate for seamless operations across state borders and holding the counter-insurgency grid together.
Stating that this was the first time that a comprehensive anti-Left wing extremism policy was being put down in black & white, a senior home ministry official said it largely borrowed from minutes and circulars taken out over the last 4-5 years, while adding some new interventions.
The new policy, which will be circulated to all the states for their comments soon, seeks to fight the Maoists through a four-pronged approach, comprising elements like security-related measures, development-based approach, rights and entitlement-based measures and public perception management. According to details of the policy accessed by TOI, the approach in worst LWE-affected areas will focus on security interventions; in moderately-affected areas it will witness security and development initiatives going hand in hand; while in less affected areas, development interventions will take precedence.
As regards possible peace talks with Naxalites, the draft policy makes it clear that any offer of talks will be taken up only after the Maoists renounce violence as a means of capturing state power and express faith in the democratic process. “The State is duty-bound to resolutely deal with the Maoist violence and reserves the right to use any element of its national power against the outfit if the situation warrants,” say the general principles that underline the policy.
Insisting on a periodic review of the counter-Naxal strategies, the policy proposes oversight committee at the national and state level. The national panel will comprise home minister, finance minister, tribal affairs minister, environment minister, rural development minister, panchayati raj minister and road & transport minister, besides chief ministers of all Naxal-hit states, and will meet bi-annually. Apart from this, there will be an inter-ministerial group, a coordination committee to oversee operational strategies comprising Central and state level officers, as well as a state-level committee for coordinated response by various state agencies.
The new counter-LWE doctrine pitches for making CRPF a world-class counter-insurgency force, with a sustained upgrade in its training, infrastructure, arms and financial powers. While pitching to win hearts and minds of local tribes, it seeks to encourage police/CPMFs to recruit local tribal youth by holding more rallies and working around the DoPT rules to identify ways to push up their representation in the forces. There is emphasis also on honouring tribal icons by renaming projects and key local buildings after them.