New Delhi: The army, which has so far been kept out of anti-Maoist operations, is being dragged willy-nilly into the battle.
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At last week's conference of army commanders in New Delhi, home minister P Chidambaram is reported to have said that sooner or later the army may have to get involved. His remarks were not reported in the media. What was reported was that he drew a distinction between Maoists and insurgents in Kashmir and the north-east.
While the army brass is still keen to avoid getting entangled in another domestic counter-insurgency operation, it has nevertheless 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. It has also called for an improvement in governance and intelligence network.
According to government sources, the army commanders have, in their recommendations to the ministry of defence, expressed reservations about army deployment against the Maoists. They pointed out that the 120 battalions raised by the home ministry for this purpose are still to be fully deployed. The commanders said that the army should not be deployed till these battalions are fully stretched.
However, to improve operational abilities, the army top brass has recommended that each of the affected states appoint "military advisers" -- fairly senior army officers who look into operational matters.
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.
Sources told DNA that the army top brass has recommended that the central government set up a national centre, under army administration, for training the instructors of paramilitary and state police forces involved in anti-Maoist operations. The army has not suggested any location for the national centre.
The army top brass has also pointed out that the existing intelligence gathering capabilities are not sufficient to meet the Maoist challenge. Besides, the senior military leadership also believes that governance in the Maoist belt needs to be improved, a line of thinking that everyone, from the prime minister down, is beginning to accept.
As of now, the army has no direct role in anti-Maoist operations, except for a retired brigadier running a training centre in Chhattisgarh, and some other peripheral liaison work.
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