Home ministry proposes, Defence disposes
NEW DELHI: Indian Defence Ministry has rejected the Union Home Ministry's proposition to withdraw some Rashtriya Rifle (RR) battalions from Jammu and Kashmir to confront Maoist rebels.
Sources here said, the Army Headquarters has put its foot down on the suggestion to involve the army in direct action to flush out
Maoist rebels from the forests of Jharkhand, Chatisgarh and Madhya Pradesh. At the commanders' meeting here last month, Home Minister P. Chidambaram had asked for the army's role in curbing left extremists, which is now being seen as the greatest threat to national security.
After internal consultations, the commanders are stated to have
rejected the idea of using the army as an option. They, however,
recommended setting up of a national anti-Naxal operations training centre under army supervision, and the appointment of military advisors for affected states.
They believed that the army should be used as the last resort in
internal security measures. They further asked home ministry to fully deploy newly raised 120 paramilitary battalions before seeking army's role.
Last month Chidambaram is reported to have stated at the commanders' meeting that sooner or later the army may have to get involved. He had even informally talked about the possibility of withdrawing some Rashtriya Rifles (RR) battalions from Kashmir for operations against Maoists.
The army brass however recommended the appointment of military advisers in each of the Maoist-affected states and the setting up of anti-insurgency training facilities under its management. They have also called for an improvement in governance and intelligence network.
These officers, preferably of the rank of brigadier or major-general, would study the operations of the Maoists and security personnel and recommend appropriate strategies.
[Kashmir Times]
Posted on 11 Nov 2009 by
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