Patna, March 30: The state government has devised a long-term strategy to reduce its dependence on the central paramilitary force to continue its battle against the Maoists.

The move is aimed at the Union government’s recent decision to withdraw two battalions of the CRPF from the state.

Sources in the police headquarters said that two battalions of the CRPF, which were deployed in six Maoist-hit districts of north Bihar — Muzaffarpur, Sitamarhi, Sheohar, East Champaran, Darbhanga and Saran — have been withdrawn on the directive of the ministry of home affairs. Each battalion comprises six companies and each company has a sanctioned strength of about 100 trained personnel of the force.

Inspector-general (operations) Amit Kumar said the personnel of Bihar Military Police (BMP), Special Auxiliary Police and the special task force would replace the central security personnel in these districts. “We have sufficient force to take care of,” he said.

About the “long-term plan”, the sources said, young police personnel had been selected from the districts and asked to join a month-long specialised training course in counter-insurgency and anti-terrorism. The policemen would be trained by officials of the central paramilitary forces posted as additional superintendents of police (operations) in the Maoist-hit districts. The selected personnel of the district armed police have been asked to undergo training in phases at different battalions of BMP.

Rohtas additional SP (operations) B.K. Mandal said the training of the first batch of 170 sub-inspectors and seven DSPs on the campus of the second battalion of the BMP at Dehri-on-Sone concluded on March 10. The second batch of 150 sub-inspectors and seven DSPs has been inducted for the training, he added.

Outgoing commandant of the BMP’s second battalion, Ratna Mani Sanjeev, said the month-long training would help the cops fight the rebels. Sanjeev, who has been shifted to Kaimur, a Naxalite-hit district, said such training was mandatory for the force.

Lande shift protest

Several people on Saturday blocked roads in Araria while protesting against outgoing superintendent of police Shivdeep Lande, reports PTI. Some of them were raising slogans against the government.