Following the Naxalite attack on Rani Bodli outpost in Chhattisgarh’s Dantewara district, in which 55 security personnel were killed, the state police have decided to review the security situation at hundreds of such outposts in Maoist-infested districts.

As part of a review of the security set-up, it has been decided that the number of Chhattisgarh Armed Police personnel at outposts located in the Maoist-affected districts will be increased and the dependence on SPOs will be brought down in phases.

The outposts located in sensitive areas will be provided better weapons, additional funds for perimeter fencing and areas around them will be cleared of trees.

At the review meeting, senior officers at the police headquarters were also directed to visit the Naxal-affected districts, with many of them being asked to camp at the police posts and submit a detailed report on the changes that could be helpful in fighting the extremists.

Police sources said after the 15 March attack it was felt that the police had largely been depending on SPOs. “The incident has taught us that specially trained security personnel need to be posted at police posts in areas affected by Naxalites. Of the 79 security men posted at Rani Bodli, 55 were SPOs. And it was felt that if trained police personnel with better weapons were present in good numbers the situation would have been entirely different and we could have inflicted severe casualties on the attacking Maoist cadres,” said a senior police officer.

A need was also felt to upgrade the weapons of the security personnel. “Unless we are able to provide our jawans with better weapons we would not be able to repulse attacks of such magnitude as the sheer number of Naxal cadres will easily overwhelm any outpost, which is defended by obsolete weapons,” the source added, pointing out that a majority of security personnel deployed at the Rani Bodli camp were using .303 rifles. With just two LMGs and less than 12 SLRs and INSAS rifles with Chhattisgarh police personnel, they were believed to be outgunned by the Naxals.

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