Union Home Minister Amit Shah said on Monday that the fight against Maoists will be intensified in the coming days.
Mr. Shah, who flew to Chhattisgarh on Monday, two days after the April 3 attack at Tarrem in Sukma where 22 security personnel were killed , said the killings were “an act of desperation by the Maoists” and the fight will soon take a decisive turn.
“I reviewed the security today, the officers here said there should not be any let-up in the fight against the Naxals. The loss of lives of jawans will not be in vain. In the past five-six years, many security camps have opened in core areas of Naxals in Chattisgarh. This attack is a result of their desperation. The Chhattisgarh government and the Centre are working together,” Mr. Shah told media persons in Jagadalpur.
He was accompanied by Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel, who said more security camps would be established in the Left Wing Extremism (LWE) affected areas at a rapid pace and development works in the area would also be accelerated. As many as 14 of the 27 districts in Chhattisgarh are affected by LWE violence.
In the recent past, the CRPF has opened 18 new security camps in South Bastar.
“Our jawans valiantly braved the Naxalites, causing them a heavy damage. New camps are being established in the area, because of which Naxalites are panicking. The area of Naxalite dominance is shrinking rapidly. It is the first time when we have entered the den of Naxalites,” Mr. Baghel said.
Wreath laying ceremony
Mr. Shah flew to Chhattisgarh on Monday. During his day long visit, Mr. Shah visited Jagdalpur where he attended the wreath laying ceremony for the fallen personnel.
On April 2 evening, a joint team of the Chhattisgarh Police, comprising the District Reserve Guard (DRG) and Special Task Force (STF) along with various teams of Central Reserve Police Force, had proceeded for a combing operation in south Bastar. An exchange of fire started with the Maoists on April 3 around 12 noon and it lasted for over three hours. The bodies of jawans could only be retrieved 24 hours later on April 4. The deceased include seven from the Commando Battalion for Resolute Action unit (CoBRA) of the CRPF, a unit specially trained for operations in LWE affected areas, and 15 from the Chhattisgarh Police. Thirty one others were injured. A Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) commando is still missing.
After the wreath laying ceremony, Mr. Shah attended a security review meeting at Jagdalpur police lines with Mr. Baghel, D.M. Awasthi, Director General, Chhattisgarh Police; K Vijay Kumar, Senior Security Advisor, Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA); Arvinda Kumar, Director, Intelligence Bureau; and Kuldiep Singh, Director General, CRPF.
He had lunch with CRPF and State police personnel at a camp in Basaguda.
Visits the injured
Later in the day, Mr. Shah visited the injured security personnel in a hospital in the State capital Raipur.
Mr. Baghel and Mr. Shah were campaigning for the Assam assembly elections when the attack took place on April 3 and they returned to Raipur and New Delhi respectively only on April 4 evening as the death toll climbed.
Published - April 05, 2021 09:43 am IST
