IG Alok Raj in Bokaro on Monday. (Pankaj Singh)

Bokaro, April 18: A second battalion of the CRPF will keep extra vigil in the Maoist stronghold of Jhumra in Bokaro while Dumka in Santhal Pargana, where the rebels have gained a toehold of late, will get its first paramilitary sentinels.

Announcing the two new battalions of the force at a news meet in Chas today, CRPF inspector-general (IG) Alok Raj said reinforcement had become necessary because the jawans were not just fighting the CPI(Maoist) in these places, but also splinter outfits like the PLFI, TPC and JPC.

Currently, the CRPF has 13 battlions and two COBRA units in the state.

“Even six years ago, the police did not dare to enter the Saranda forests in fear of Maoists. But in the past year, the CRPF entered the zone four times. The continued presence of paramilitary forces in Jhumra, which was once the training hub of Maoists, has dealt a severe blow to the rebel outfit,” Raj said.

“While we have strengthened our base, the same has been done by rebels in Chatra, Latehar, Palamau, Khunti and Dumka. So, the need to raise more battlions,” he added.

At present, the CRPF has camps at Rahawan and Jhumra in Bokaro and Churchu and Ghat in Hazaribagh. The IG maintained that the new battalions would go an extra mile to weed out Naxalism from the area as well as the Santhal Pargana region.

On whether Maoists were poisoning pond water in Jhumra, which caters to CRPF needs, Raj said they were awaiting forensic reports.

CRPF DIG D.L Gola and commandant of its 26th Battalion Imran Mallik were also present at the news meet.