A security officer has recommended creation of counter insurgency grid of anti-naxal forces across the Moist-affected states under a unified command of a single empowered post of a director general in central paramilitary forces.
Maintaining that a "pan India" approach should be adopted along with sustained development of the affected areas, he said, "piecemeal and sporadic campaigns will surely fail miserably".
"It is true that law and order is a state subject, but the Centre cannot wash its hand of, especially in areas where there is no law and order left and the affected states are asking for help," said Col J K Achuthan, who has been actively engaged in counter insurgency (CI) operations in various parts.
His comments in the backdrop of the Dantewada Maoist attack, which claimed lives of 76 paramilitary and police personnel, came in an article to be published in the forthcoming issue of the 'Indian Defence Review'.
Delving in-depth on the anti-naxal operations carried out in Andhra Pradesh, he stressed that the 'Greyhound' pattern of operations and training to paramilitary forces should be adopted for the affected areas.
Observing that the anti-Maoist operations cannot be treated like the "hurried and non-organic" deployment of forces during elections, he said while the paramilitary personnel did not have adequate knowledge of the locale; the district police did not have CI capability.
{{/usCountry}}Observing that the anti-Maoist operations cannot be treated like the "hurried and non-organic" deployment of forces during elections, he said while the paramilitary personnel did not have adequate knowledge of the locale; the district police did not have CI capability.
{{/usCountry}}"What is essentially required is to work out the CI Grid deployment based on Joint Operational Bases and the state police/central paramilitary forces (CPMF) Special DIG head quarters should be made in charge of operations as had been done in Andhra Pradesh," Achuthan said.
To ensure accountability, coordination and cooperation of all the available forces, "there is a dire need to set up a single empowered director general level headquarters of the CPMF to coordinate with the respective state police HQs".
He also suggested that a method be worked out to ensure that CPMF deployment did not last more than two years "during which the state police forces must get sufficiently built up and trained on the Greyhound pattern to relieve them permanently".
Achuthan referred in detail to the aggressive rural developmental activities carried out by successive governments in Andhra Pradesh led by N Chandrababu Naidu and late YSR Reddy in the affected areas, along with revitalising of the state police, saying this approach should be adopted "whatever be the costs".