No reserves, entire CRPF out in the field

The CRPF may be India’s largest reserve police force, but it does not have a single battalion in “reserve”.

The CRPF may be India’s largest reserve police force, but it does not have a single battalion in “reserve”.

HT Image

With the surge against the Maoist insurgency in the country and the growing law-and-order commitments, the 60-year-old Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF), the largest paramilitary force with 210 battalions (210,000 personnel), has been compelled to deploy its entire strength of men and women.

“We don’t have a single battalion in reserve. But we’ll overcome the (problem) as the force plans to raise 30 more battalions in the next few years,” CRPF Director-General A.S. Gill told Hindustan Times.

The CRPF is an armed reserve force of the central government. Its basic role is assisting state governments in maintaining law and order and containing insurgency.

The force’s mandate is to return to the barracks once this objective is achieved.

However, with the Union home ministry giving a lead role to the CRPF in the country’s fight against Red terror, and its excessive use in counter insurgency and operations to check terrorism, communal tensions, election duty, disaster relief and guarding VIPs and important installations, the force has no personnel to spare for any other job.

“Today, we are left with just three companies (300 personnel) and one Mahila (female) company in our reserve. The CRPF’s strength is its versatility. No other force in the world does this,” said a senior CRPF officer.

According to a home ministry official, the surge against the Maoist insurgency will peak after the Jharkhand polls, which will be over by mid-December.

“A full fledged operation would have started in some states by now, but it got delayed due to the Maharashtra and Jharkhand elections. Soon after the Jharkhand polls, the forces will be pulled out (of election duty) and be deployed in Chhattisgarh and Jharkhand especially to focus on the Naxals," he added.

The home ministry has asked the Naxalite-hit states to fill more than 100,000 vacancies in their police forces to reduce their heavy reliance on paramilitary forces.