Orissa demands more forces to fight Maoists

Orissa has demanded five more battalions of central paramilitary forces to fight the Maoists, an official release said on Monday.

Orissa has demanded five more battalions of central paramilitary forces to fight the Maoists, an official release said on Monday.

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According to the release, the state government pressed for five more battalions of paramilitary forces the chief ministers' conference in New Delhi Sunday.

Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik demanded more force to be deployed in the northern districts bordering Jharkhand, West Bengal and Chhattisgarh.

The state has already raised a 2,000-strong anti-Maoist force by recruiting tribal youths as special police officers.

More than half of the 30 districts of the state are Maoist-affected.