The home ministry has asked the CRPF top brass to withdraw several battalions of the paramilitary force from Jammu and Kashmir and redeploy them in Maoist-hit areas of Chhattisgarh, Odisha, Andhra Pradesh and Jharkhand before launching an all-out offensive against the rebels, sources said on Tuesday.
A home ministry official said that during a recent meeting, security officials who
have been drawing up a blueprint for a “unified and combined” attack on the Maoists decided to withdraw several battalions of the CRPF that were recently deployed in Jammu and Kashmir during the Amarnath Yatra.
“The additional battalions will help in launching coordinated offensives in Maoist-affected states, including Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, Andhra Pradesh and Odisha. We need more forces on the ground to pursue and challenge Maoists if they cross a state border during the operation,” said the ministry official.
“As part of the strategy, security forces are planning a coordinated operation to trap the Maoists inside the forests of Chhattisgarh so that they can’t escape using the forest cover to neighbouring states like Odisha, Jharkhand and Maharashtra,” a CRPF official said.
The “unified and combined” offensive is being planned to prevent the rebels from exploiting a “security vacuum” at inter-state borders for escape and refuge, he said.