For the CRPF personnel posted in the Maoist-hit Lalgarh area of West Bengal,the Dantewada massacre has come with a grim reminder you cannot afford to lower your guard,does not matter how hostile the conditions are. One single mistake is enough to take your life. With the maximum temperature hovering over 40 degree Celsius and the maximum humidity around 96 per cent,the conditions are tough for the personnel posted in the area. They walk a gruelling 20 to 30 km every day under the scorching sun. Now renewed reminders have reached almost all units urging the CRPF personnel to strictly follow the Standard Operating Procedures (SOP) while going on area domination,patrol,hot pursuit and other operations. The 1,680 men guard a territory of about 4,000 square km covering at least 20 police stations 15 in West Midnapore and the rest in Bankura and Purulia districts bordering Jharkhand. As of now,the CRPF companies have intensified their raids and patrolling in the affected areas in the state, said Nageswar Rao,IG,Eastern Sector,CRPF. Maximum strength of the CRPF has been deployed in the Left Wing Extremism-hit districts,especially in West Midnapore. We have standard guidelines which we follow under all circumstances. So,the SOP remains the same until no major change is made, he added. The raids have been intensified for another reason,though. Post Dantewada,a red alert has been sounded in Bengal and a specific intelligence input has reached the security forces about a couple of hundred heavily armed Maoists cadres having sneaked into Purulia over the past few days. Normally,Purulia and Belpahari in West Midnapore are the two entry points for them. Armed engagement is a daily feature with Maoists still digging in deep inside forest tracts. One CRPF unit head,when contacted over the phone in West Midnapore,said,For us the renewed pledge is: discard vehicles and make it on foot. To tell you the truth every time we reflect on the Dantewada massacre,we break into a cold sweat. During operations,the companies walk for 20-30 km. Each of them also carries 12-15 kg,which include arms and bags. Usually,after walking for 8-10 km,the personnel are exhausted and they either relax for some time or are carried in vehicles. But after Dantewada we have to handle the area domination work and operations very carefully, he said. A senior CRPF official recalled the beginning of Operation Lalgarh by the joint security forces in June 2009. On the second day,when we reached Lalgarh police station by foot,covering a distance of about 20 km in two days under terrible humidity,one of the CRPF men collapsed. He died out of exhaustion before any medical help could be given. The Dantewada incident is a major blow to us. We are working out new strategies of operating in the affected areas. The personnel are advised to trek through the forest during area domination, said Vijay Raman,Special DG,CRPF.
