Need intel-based approach to combat Maoists: PC

Home minister P Chidambaram on Wednesday told the CRPF that fighting Maoists is different from conducting counter-insurgency operations where they intervene and step back.

Home minister P Chidambaram on Wednesday told the CRPF that fighting Maoists is different from conducting counter-insurgency operations where they intervene and step back.

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Chidambaram said the CRPF would have to acquire an intelligence-based strategy to combat Maoists who have organised themselves as a "regular fighting army".

The minister was inaugurating the CRPF's first-ever intelligence training school for officers and personnel at its academy at Kadarpur in Gurgaon.

"Counter-insurgency and countering Left-wing extremists require a very different strategy and approach. It's not intervening, setting things right in a few days and returning to your group centre or your headquarters.

"It's remaining deployed for a long time to take on an adversary such as the CPI (Maoists), which is organised as a regular fighting army," the minister said.

Chidambaram emphasised on the need for the security forces to develop intelligence about their adversary for operations and win the support of the people through civic action programmes.

CRPF head K Vijay Kumar said the new school and intelligence wing recently cleared by the government would be "customised" for force's operational requirements.

Kumar, who had revived the proposal to create posts for intelligence officers, said: "What we are getting is our intelligence school where we will be able to put our boys through the grind and it will be customised according to our needs and requirements which are very distinct from the needs of other organisations."

Shooter minister
The minister later fired a couple of rounds from a light machine gun to give a sound start to the opening of a shooting drill in Gurgaon on Wednesday.

Chidambaram pulled the trigger like a professional shooter, prompting reporters to ask whether he had hit the bull's eye but there were no answers from officials present. Chidambaram was offered ear caps which he refused and stepped ahead to pull the trigger.