Army not for fighting Naxals: Southern Command chief

The Indian Army is not getting involved in anti-Naxal operation at this juncture, said General officer Commanding in Chief of the Southern Command, Lt Gen Pradeep Khanna.

“It is a big problem but it is still a state subject,” Khanna said, while speaking to the media at the Bombay Engineering Group at a ceremony to commemorate war heroes, war widows and disabled soldiers on Thursday. The Southern Command has jurisdiction of states from Rajasthan and Bihar in the North to southern tip of India; many of these states have naxal presence.

“It is a Ministry of home affairs subject. Every state is raising its own special force - the COBRA - to fight the naxals - however we have been involved in the training of these forces,” Khanna said. He said that the Indian Army had trained forces in Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh and Chattisgarh in the past in counter insurgency. 

Earlier in his speech, Gen Khanna said that the Indian Army was well prepared to combat the onslaught of terror as the “enemy from the western borders” was trying to sneak in as many terrorists into the country before the onset of winter. “The Army is playing a vital role to put a stop to this,” Khanna said. On the recent spate of heavy rains and floods, Khanna said the Army would move in if the situation in Goa and Maharashtra worsened.

In Goa and Maharashtra, Khanna said that the situation had not deteriorated to the extent of calling in the army. “We are on stand by in Goa and Maharashtra,” he said. “In Karnataka and AP, 1,500 jawans are still at work, they have rescued close to 20,000 people,” he added.

http://www.indianexpress.com/news/army-not-for-fighting-naxals-southern-command-chief/526868/