Jamshedpur, Oct. 4: The paramilitary fight against Left-wing extremism in the state will get a fair edge in the form of women commandos.
A company of women’s battalion of CRPF will be deputed in Ranchi from this month for use in Maoist-hit regions in a first-of-its-kind move in the country, CRPF director-general K. Durga Prasad announced today.
Prasad, who flew in a helicopter from Ranchi to lay the foundation for a barrack at the 106th Battalion of RAF at Sundernagar, around 12km from Jamshedpur, said after the ceremony that a company of 232nd women’s battalion of CRPF, having its base in Bengal’s Salboni, will be posted in the state capital’s Dhurwa.
“This will be the first instance of a CRPF women battalion being deputed to carry out operation in Maoist-affected areas. Around 120 women commandos will be posted in Dhurwa from this month. This will strengthen CRPF intelligence gathering network and also give new dimension to the civil action plan in winning confidence of local residents, who are being influenced by Maoists,” he added.
The women completed a 44-week training from the CRPF centre in Ajmer, Rajasthan, earlier this year. They are well-versed in jungle warfare, unarmed combat, smart weapon firing and other drills.
According to CRPF officers accompanying the director-general, there are operational benefits of deploying women commandos in Maoist areas. “They can easily interact with women in rural areas and help us in gathering intelligence. They will be also used strategically in areas having sizeable number of women Maoists,” said an officer.
The director-general said that active inter-state operations even during monsoon helped combat Maoists significantly in the eastern states. “This year, there have been 10 major offensives and 11 encounters against Maoists since July,” Prasad added.
The CRPF top officer further said their men exercised extreme restraint in Kashmir despite adverse situations. “Around 3,000 jawans have been injured and 125 critically injured in Jammu and Kashmir in the past few months.”
