Bhopal: The deaths of 22 security personnel in the recent Naxalite attack in Chhattisgarh have sent the alarm bells ringing in the state of Madhya Pradesh. The state police have prepared to face any situation that may arise out of Naxalite insurgency.
At least 22 security personnel were killed and 31 seriously injured following an exchange of fire between the forces and Naxalites in Chhattisgarh’s Bijapur district in the worst Naxalite attack in four years.
The Chhattisgarh police claimed that at least 12 Maoists had been killed and 16 injured in the gun battle following the ambush. The security forces were ambushed by around 400 Naxals, who surrounded the jawans from three sides and opened fire.
Wake-up call for police
The attack has acted as a wake-up call for the state police and they have tightened the security in the district borders, as well as taking extra precautions while conducting area domination and patrolling.
Currently, only two districts of Madhya Pradesh—Balaghat and Mandla—are districts affected by Maoist violence. According to intelligence inputs, the Naxalites are preparing a ‘Red Corridor’ in the state, which will reach Amarkantak, besides planning to set up a a base camp in Kanha National Park.
On the other hand, two platoons—the Vistar Platoon-2 and Vistar Platoon-3—of the CPI (Maoist) Kavardha-Balaghat (KB) Division are working on plans to establish a Left-wing extremist (LWE) corridor from Kavardha to Dindori via Balaghat and Mandla districts.
Need for more forces
After the attack in Chhattisgarh, the need for more security forces to combat with the Naxalites has once again cropped up. Earlier, the PHQ had proposed the establishment of a special unit for the Naxalite violence-affected areas, which has been pending with the Government of India for approval for some time now.
Neighbouring states, such as Chhattisgarh, Maharashtra and Odisha, have started eliminating the Naxalite problem from their soil. As a result, these Naxalites have started entering the state of Madhya Pradesh, which is known as an ‘Island of Peace’. Currently, to handle the Naxalite problem, the state has the Hawk force—a force of highly trained security personnel who are aware of the nitty gritty of jungle combat.
The Balaghat ADG, PK Venketeshwar Rao, informed Free Press that they had tightened security of the districts and also of the police establishments. He added that the information and intelligence system had been strengthened and the police were keeping an eye on all the possible passageways to check suspicious movements.
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