The Centre along with the Naxal-affected states has launched its biggest offensive against the rebels but Monday's attack at a police camp in West Bengal in which 24 security personnel were killed showed that the strategy to counter the rebels is not foolproof.
Following the deadly attack West Bengal Police are caught in political pressure with the Centre saying the state's force is ill-equipped, but state government has been claiming that Naxal leader Kishanji will be arrested soon.
Preliminary investigations into the Naxal attack at a camp of Eastern Frontier Rifle (EFR) jawans in Silda in West Midnapore point to a security lapse and exposes how unprepared the forces are in dealing with the menace.
The daring attack has also prompted the Centre to rethink its strategy to counter the Naxals.
Seven more jawans were injured and are fighting for life in the attack.
Even West Bengal's top police officials accept that there was very little resistance that was put up as the jawans were no match for the biggest, boldest ever operation by the Naxals in West Bengal.
"The jawans could not retaliate because it is a congested area and there were chances of civilians getting hurt," said West Bengal DGP Bhupinder Singh.
Forty jawans were manning the camp when over 100 Naxals launched the assault. The attackers came on motorcycles and cars.
They also looted 50 rifles including AK-47s.
For the first time the Naxals used four-wheelers in such an attack. They also tried to cover their tracks and burnt the vehicles before fleeing, on a state highway 20km away from the site of the operation.
The scale of the attack has forced New Delhi to rethink strategies, just a week after Union Home Minister P Chidambaram met with chief ministers of West Bengal and Orissa, deputy chief minister of Jharkhand and top officials from Bihar in Kolkata to draw up a joint strategy to counter the Naxals.
"We will review the strategy in West Bengal. We need to pay more emphasis in training, relief and rescue," said Special Secretary, Internal Security, UK Bansal.
Clearly, there was an intelligence failure.
The attacked camp is located right in middle of a market and evidently the Naxals were planning the attack for a long time.
Ironically local villagers showed little sympathy for the dead jawans and without their help, Operation Greenhunt against the Naxals cannot expect much success.
Source : http://ibnlive.in.com/news/centre-bengal-spar-over-naxal-attack-strategy/110258-3.html?from=tn
Following the deadly attack West Bengal Police are caught in political pressure with the Centre saying the state's force is ill-equipped, but state government has been claiming that Naxal leader Kishanji will be arrested soon.
Preliminary investigations into the Naxal attack at a camp of Eastern Frontier Rifle (EFR) jawans in Silda in West Midnapore point to a security lapse and exposes how unprepared the forces are in dealing with the menace.
The daring attack has also prompted the Centre to rethink its strategy to counter the Naxals.
Seven more jawans were injured and are fighting for life in the attack.
Even West Bengal's top police officials accept that there was very little resistance that was put up as the jawans were no match for the biggest, boldest ever operation by the Naxals in West Bengal.
"The jawans could not retaliate because it is a congested area and there were chances of civilians getting hurt," said West Bengal DGP Bhupinder Singh.
Forty jawans were manning the camp when over 100 Naxals launched the assault. The attackers came on motorcycles and cars.
They also looted 50 rifles including AK-47s.
For the first time the Naxals used four-wheelers in such an attack. They also tried to cover their tracks and burnt the vehicles before fleeing, on a state highway 20km away from the site of the operation.
The scale of the attack has forced New Delhi to rethink strategies, just a week after Union Home Minister P Chidambaram met with chief ministers of West Bengal and Orissa, deputy chief minister of Jharkhand and top officials from Bihar in Kolkata to draw up a joint strategy to counter the Naxals.
"We will review the strategy in West Bengal. We need to pay more emphasis in training, relief and rescue," said Special Secretary, Internal Security, UK Bansal.
Clearly, there was an intelligence failure.
The attacked camp is located right in middle of a market and evidently the Naxals were planning the attack for a long time.
Ironically local villagers showed little sympathy for the dead jawans and without their help, Operation Greenhunt against the Naxals cannot expect much success.
Source : http://ibnlive.in.com/news/centre-bengal-spar-over-naxal-attack-strategy/110258-3.html?from=tn
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