PARA MILITARY FORCES CAN NOT TACKLE INSURGENCY AND MAOISTS

PARA MILITARY FORCES CAN NOT TACKLE INSURGENCY AND MAOISTS

                                          Dr K Prabhakar Rao

                            

 Insurgency is possible only with support from local population. At times, insurgents terrorise the local population for submission and for falling in line. But this method can not last long. Insurgency can sustain when there is a strong cause against the society, Govt, local repression and ,  discrimination in society. The supporters give information about movement of state armed units such as police teams, CRPF units and State armed reserve units on regular basis.. Thus militants are at great advantage. In  the latest maoist action against CRPF force in Chattisgarh action, the militants struck when the members of the force were busy having food and being lax. The flaw was that they have not secured the surrounding high ground and areas before they settled down. They also should not have selected a place to relax for food that is vulnerable for ambush where you are unlikely to resist.. It has been learnt that a woman with Red saree was seen at the site earlier who could be an informer as per the CRPF.

This is not the first time that  Maoists butchered CRPF Forces many times in Orissa border and in chattisgarh and their actions  were superior than the combing  actions of state forces after the tragedy.. gone  are the days when Maoists fought with 12 bore  single barrel locally made guns,  guns  captured police force, muskets, 303 rifles and muzzle loaders. Today they have very modern weapons like semi automatic SLR 7.62. Machine guns ( ??), AK 47 etc. They believe in high intensity and high volume of fire during ambushes and their leaders are highly committed as seen from their encounters. Police units are tired and demoralised forces unfit for guerrilla tactics, jungle war fare and ambushes.

 The CRPF is firstly  neither trained nor they have good leadership to combat committed Maoists.  The govt has also  not provided necessary infrastructure to them. They are headed by police bosses who believe in staying at the back of attacking force unlike Army  where officers   spearhead the force while being at the front. They lead from front. Army Operations whether advance, attack, deliberate defence,  hasty defence,  or securing the ground, ambush etc are planned, timed and executed by senior and very senior officers, where as police operations are done by lowest level Inspectors  and Asst commandants at times. Hence we hardly find casualties of Officer Cadre in CRPF operations. Another most important aspect for failure of police operations is due to in efficiency which is again due to reservations in police.Best  youth do not join the force It is like a square peg in round hole or round peg in square hole. In this country Police is given task of Army Operations and Army is given the tasks like rescuing children from bore wells, as working party for laying mats for political mega show of mass yoga display, internal security duties (IS duties). Relief operations  when accidents take place, when ever any gov't department goes on tool down strike, that includes municipality duties, flood relief operation,  etc,etc. The advisors at the top most echelons are wrongly chosen by the govt by giving scant regard to logic and reasoning and retired police officers are appointed as advisors to the govt on Army Operations. There are umpteen reasons for failure of Police Operations and unless the govt looks 'D-Nova' the entire gamut of counter insurgency operations and deploy ability of Army / Police personnel, failures like recent CRPF ambushes will be the order of the day and forces will become gun fodder for the fancy of our  politicians ) (Politicians are no  more leaders)