With 46 Deaths Every Year, Here Are Major Reasons Why CRPF Jawans Are Sitting Ducks For The Maoists

Whether it’s Dantewada’s horrifying ambush by Maoists in 2010 which saw 78 Jawans martyred or the repeated attacks by Left Wing Extremists (LWE) on Bastar region in Chhattisgarh which saw dozens of Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) perish.

PTI

The bloodstains of 12 jawans killed in Sukma in March hadn’t dried yet, and the Maoists killed 25 more to give the force another wound which mightn’t heal ever.?

We are just four months inside 2017 and have already 49 of our valiant security personnel to Maoists in Chhattisgarh.

Behind the veil of political rhetoric, both centre and the state, there are questions that need to be raised and answered, if at all, the politicians sitting in the hallowed confines wish to do any good to CRPF.

Also Read:?'Considerable Number' Of Maoists Killed In Retaliatory Action In Sukma, Claims CRPF

Chhattisgarh CM Raman Singh said that Sukma in Bastar is the last bastion for Maoists and that’s why they are protecting it fiercely. “Sukma is Maoists’ headquarters and their last bastion in the country. If roads are built here, they will be wiped out. This is the last battle for them, which is why they are resisting so fiercely,” ?The Hindu reported.

Rajnath Singh too didn’t say much except for lip service politicians are now so habitual of. The home minister said that the sacrifice of the soldiers will go in vain, but this is what he said last time in March.?

But there are questions which need answers because the force’s morale is on the verge of a break and the state as well as centre doesn't acknowledge that the problem is far bigger than their myopic vision could gaze.

Here are major reasons cited behind CRPF’s fatal flaws lately which make them sitting ducks waiting to be culled.

No top leadership

Many former CRPF officials and officers of other forces have questioned government's approach of letting the CRPF fight perhaps an enemy more equipped and agile in terrorists in Kashmir without a leader to lead.

IndiaTimes

For the past two months, the post of director general in the CRPF has been lying vacant which demoralises the force at all levels.

"Why is a force of 300,000 personnel headless for two months?"?IndiaToday?quoted Prakash Singh, former director general of BSF. "Where is the leadership for the force? When this government took over, (home minister) Rajnath Singh made a grand announcement about a policy to deal with the situation. Three years later, where is that policy?"

Not following SOP (Standard Operating Procedure)

Platoon level leadership of CRPF is also looking incompetent as on many occasions in past, CRPF jawans have been found as sitting ducks and that too in large number waiting to be butchered. According to sources, on Monday, a Road Opening Party (ROP) by the CRPF, divided into two groups, was having lunch when the ambush occurred.?

PTI

According to Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs), The force should get divided into smaller groups of four or five, so that if ambush takes place, minimal casualties get infected. But like Dantewada in 2010?and 2013 attacks, a large number of Jawans were in a?group and when they decided to have lunch, the Maoist who took cover behind the villagers opened fire.

PTI

?"It's against basic SOP. Prima facie evidence indicates this SOP wasn't followed. If one jawan takes lunch, the other protects. Even when jawans march, a gap is always maintained. Repeated attacks and killings of CRPF personnel indicates a failure in following SOPs. Secondly, was there a quick response team (QRT) to back the ROP?" questioned counter-terrorism analyst Anil Kamboj in the Firstpost

Lack of coordination which invites intelligence faux passes

Be it the counter-insurgency operation in Kashmir or any other initiative in any other state in India, the agencies belonging to state and the centre always accuse each other of not co-operating.

PTI

CRPF has often said that it’s doing the job of the police because the state government has put the onus of countering Naxalism on centre (CRPF) while as per rule, the police should be at forefront.Lack of coordination between two forces leads to the chink in intelligence armour which often results on ambushes like Monday’s.

?CRPF isn't equipped and trained for guerrilla war in jungles?

Various security experts time and again have pointed it out that CRPF is neither equipped nor it’s trained to take on Maoist who know the jungles and the warfare well. The CoBRA battalion — an elite force within CRPF, that is efficiently trained for this purpose — has only eight battalions deployed in Bastar.?

PTI

Andhra Pradesh has been able to counter naxalism efficiently with its special force Greyhound. Why Chhattisgarh government hasn’t been able to develop an effective anti-naxal squad.?

CRPF marred by poor infrastructure and manpower

Only CRPF and its leadership can’t be blamed for the repeated casualties and that too in the same manner. The much need infrastructure which helps the force designated to counter the insurgency and negate expansion of Naxalism is absent.

PTI

The state government has repeated failed to provide infrastructure to CRPF to take on the Maoist who fight in their own bastion. According to sources, out of 425 sanctioned police stations in Chhattisgarh, only 403 exists; out of which 161 don't have vehicles. Many police stations in these highly sensitive areas are half-staffed, as policemen prefer not to have postings there. Nearly 10,000 vacancies have fallen short in Chhattisgarh police.