Home minister Rajnath Singh is meeting chief ministers of 10 Maoist-affected states on Monday to review the strategy to deal with the outlaws.
Singh will also hold an interactive session with superintendents of police and district magistrates of the areas hit by the Left-wing extremism to discuss security and development issues.
The meeting comes against the backdrop of the killing of 25 CRPF personnel in Sukma districts of Chhattisgarh in April 25, the deadliest attack by Maoists in the state in last seven years. The rebels had also killed 11 security personnel on March 13 in the same district.
The government has ruled out an immediate deployment of army in anti-Maoist operations, but the Monday’s meeting will explore other options, such as imparting commando training to the District Reserve Guards (DRG) by the Indian Army and use of India Reserve Battalion, instead of the Central Reserve Police Force, for road opening duties.
Deployment of the army in anti- Maoist operations ha been a contentious issue, often opposed by rights groups on grounds that army should not be used against country’s own people who have taken to violence due to lack of development in the hinterland.
The Monday’s meeting will see chief ministers making a presentation on security issues and two more such session where union ministers and the CMs will deliberate on measures needed to take fruits of development to people living in the Maoist infested areas.
Through the interactive session with SPs and DMs, government will also try to get direct feedback from the affected areas on security and development aspects.
Increased flying hours for Indian Air Force carrying security personnel, more joint command and control centres and other such measures will also be discussed at the meeting.
Source: HindustanTimes