Too stretched to join Naxal fight: Army

Sources said initial proposals from the Home Ministry did in fact,suggest a more active role for the Army. An earlier idea to shift some Rashtriya Rifles battalions to these areas was,however,rejected by the Army on the grounds of insufficient troops. Instead,it proposed raising fresh RR battalions.

As a result,a more limited role for the military is under consideration. However,there are differences after the Home Ministry identified de-mining operations as one of the key tasks for the military. The Army has argued that de-mining cannot be segregated as an operational task as no area is permanently mined in this case. Sources said Maoists use mines and improvised explosive devices as and when they desire,so such capability will have to exist in the force that is deployed for the operations.

The Defence Ministry is likely to go along with the idea of setting up unified commands,but officials remain sceptical about its effectiveness. From what it on the table,the proposed structure will be headed by the chief secretary of the state,with senior officials of the state police and paramilitary forces deployed in that state as members.

Here again,there are issues over the rank of the military adviser. Given that the police are not keen to have an Army official senior to police officers represented in the command,the adviser may end up being of the rank of a Brigadier or a Colonel. The Army,however,seems to be of the view that an adviser of the sort being conceived should be someone more senior,with varied military experience.

A suggestion to involve retired officers — to get around the issue of hierarchy — was apparently shot down by North Block. Still,this is one issue on which the military is likely to agree despite its reservations.

For North Block,however,accommodating police concerns is proving to be an uphill task. Just like raising fresh RR battalions got entangled in turf issues as the force is officered by the Army,another South Block proposal to have the military open a National Counter-Insurgency Training School for helping the paramilitary and police has not made much headway.

The Army,meanwhile,is insisting that IPS officers deployed for operations too must undergo training before induction along with the paramilitary personnel under their command given the pivotal role leadership plays in tactical operations. It has also conveyed the importance of having an entire platoon undergo training with its commanders rather than just an unfamiliar group of personnel who are then posted to separate locations.

On the logistics front,more coordination is envisaged with a sub-area headquarters planned in Chhattisgarh,along with a training facility for special forces as a measure of both deterrence and training assistance.