The Chhattisgarh government has decided to set up a specialised police unit called the ‘Bastar Special Force’ in which only local young men of the Bastar region will be recruited to counter Maoists.
The decision was taken in a review meeting chaired by chief minister Bhupesh Baghel on Monday in which senior police officials and home minister Tamradhwaj Sahu were also present.
The government has asked the police headquarters to send a proposal in this regard.
“In the meeting, the chief minister said youths from remote villages of Maoist-affected Bastar division will be recruited in this force which will also create employment opportunities for them. Difficult geographical conditions and local dialects pose a huge challenge for police deployment in Bastar region, hence if local young men are recruited they will be of great advantage for the police,” said a senior police official.
Director General of Police, Chhattisgarh, DM Awasthi told HT that the attempt is to employ the young men in the police force from Maoist affected villages of the region.
“The recruitment will start in the next few months. We will send a proposal of recruiting around 1,000 personnel from all seven districts of Bastar division,” said Awasthi.
{{/usCountry}}“The recruitment will start in the next few months. We will send a proposal of recruiting around 1,000 personnel from all seven districts of Bastar division,” said Awasthi.
{{/usCountry}}The DGP further said that district-wise recruitment has been planned in the force.
“They will be engaged in all police activities including anti-Naxal operations. Since they are well aware of the terrain they can be useful for us,” he added.
Earlier in 2016, the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) raised the Bastariya Battalion, to counter insurgency in which local tribals were recruited.
Recently, Baghel wrote to Union home minister Amit Shah seeking deployment of seven battalions of Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF).
As per an estimate of the Chhattisgarh police department, around 60,000 police personnel of state and paramilitary forces are deployed in seven districts of Bastar division.