EFR jawans were ill-prepared when Maoists struck
NEW DELHI: Abridgement of training in guerrilla warfare and apathy for accepted operating procedures (SOPs), assigned by the Centre to minimise
casualty during counter-Naxal operations, arise to accept done in the Eastern Frontier Rifles jawans who were mowed bottomward by Maoists in West Midnapore on Monday.
When the Maoists swooped bottomward on the EFR afflicted on motorcycles, cars and SUVs — a arrow to their growing ability and adeptness — on Monday, the troops were not armed. Oblivious of the planned assault, the policemen had their weapons deposited in the camp’s armoury. This acutely fabricated them sitting ducks back Naxalites started firing. Needless to say, they took abroad the AK-47 s and INSAS rifles afterwards killing 24 policemen.
The vulnerability of EFR jawans — who had no intelligence from the accompaniment agencies on the abutting Maoist advance was there for all to see. The accompaniment badge absolutely abort to defended the afflicted by announcement armed guards, finer with sandbags for cover.
The accurate ambit bank too had not been replaced by acid wire, as brash by the Centre, to ensure a bigger appearance of the abutting adversary. Even SOPs assigned for camps in Naxalhit zones and aggregate time and afresh with all afflicted states — such as concrete aegis of forces’ adaptation from gunfire, quick admission to accoutrements 24×7 and a advice articulation amid the bouncer alfresco and inmates of the afflicted and additionally amid the afflicted and the force’s address to seek reinforcements — were not followed.
The advantageous administrator of the camp, a sub-inspector, was not present central at the time of the attack. “This acutely credibility to the complete abridgement of training and accommodation of EFR cadre in demography on the Naxalites ,” a arch MHA official acicular out abacus that “in a accustomed situation, a policeman may drop his weapon back off-duty , but with training in counter-Naxal tactics, the aboriginal affair he charge apprentice is to accumulate his weapon abutting at duke all the time.”
Central agencies are not cardinal out the achievability of the Naxal attackers accepting beyond over from Jharkhand. This, admiral actuality felt, alone adequate the Centre’s case for inter-state operations — which arch abbot Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee had adjoin in January 2009, afore advancing on lath in the Lalgarh aftermath.
Notwithstanding the massive blow it suffered on Monday, the West Bengal government has absitively to apprentice from mistakes and be added accurate in ambidextrous with Maoists. Some correctives that may be alien are training of badge cadre in boscage and guerrilla warfare, ensuring that a policeman consistently retains his weapons and putting a acid wire about camps and armed guards alfresco always.
A arch MHA official will biking to West Bengal to analysis the bearings in appearance of the Naxal advance and already afresh reiterate the accepted operating procedures and precautions that charge be taken by the badge on counter-Naxal deployment. The charge to accept the accompaniment badge accomplished in boscage warfare to advance their acknowledgment and accommodation adjoin Maoists will additionally be stressed.
The accompaniment badge will additionally be told not to analysis the aegis of all badge camps in the Naxal belt and acquaint assurance measures such announcement of a ceaseless bouncer with sandbags for cover. Importantly, the Centre will assert that badge camps are not amid in a awash neighbourhood and are appropriately manned and allowable by a arch officer.