Stamping out the Maoist threat is going to be a "long bloody war" because the armed rebel cadres were very highly motivated and trained, Home Secretary G.K. Pillai said on Friday and admitted that capacities of the state police forces were limited at the moment to take on the
challenge.
"We have a long bloody war ahead. It is going to be a long haul and I see violence going to go up. We do not have the forces to move into the areas where they (Maoists) are positioned," admitted Pillai, speaking at the Eminent Persons Lecture Series at the Institute of Defence Studies Analyses here.
"The way I see it, in another two to three years, the tide will turn in India's favour and it will probably take another 7-10 years before we take complete control of civil administration (in areas where Maoists hold sway)."
Pillai said building up the capacities of police forces in the six Maoist affected states was vital to tackle the guerrillas who held sway over vast swathes.
"There is a vacuum in governance. It's a slow process, there are lots of problems and the causes are many," said Pillai.
Last year alone, Maoist violence accounted for over 1,100 deaths, the largest seen in recent years. The government has decided to reassert the authority of the civil administration in these rebel strongholds.