Newly recruited sepoys of the special battalion in a jubilant mood. Picture by Ashwinee Pati

Bhubaneswar, July 3: The killing of Maoist strategist Cherukuri Rajkumar alias Azad in the jungles of Andhra Pradesh yesterday has come as a shot in the arm for the footsoldiers of the state’s newly raised special battalion meant to guard important installations and VVIPs against Maoists.

“The death of Azad is a huge morale boost for us,” said Siba Prasad Nayak (28), a newly recruited sepoy in the special security battalion.

Nayak had been crestfallen following the massacre ofi 26 CRPF jawans, including eight from Orissa, in Chhattisgarh a few days ago.

Azad, a member of the CPI (Maoist) politburo, was the third in the Naxalite hierarchy following Ganapathi and Kishan. He was shot dead in an alleged encounter with security forces near Jogapur in the Wankhidi forests of Adilabad district in Andhra Pradesh at the crack of dawn yesterday. The killing will shake up the Maoists, believe the hundreds sepoys of the special security battalion, who assembled at the Traffic Training Institute for the nine-month training period that began here today.

“The death of Azad, who was also overseeing Naxalite activities in Orissa, holds much meaning for us as we belonged to a Maoist-hit district, Rayagada. It is a big blow for Maoists,” said Nayak.

The jubilation was discernible on the face of sepoy Rajat Kumar Mohanty, all of 19. “I am happy because the timing of the commencement of my training coincided with the elimination of the dreaded Maoist leader Azad,” Mohanty said.

Around 250 sepoys, hailing from several Maoist-hit districts in Orissa, are part of the special security battalion raised by state government to add more teeth to the Bhubaneswar-Cuttack commissionerate.

In the first phase, 507 sepoys have been recruited. Though the sepoys have been specifically recruited to guard the vital installations and shield VIPs in Cuttack and Bhubaneswar only, they would also undergo training on how to combat Naxalites.

“The sepoys would also be trained to fight Left-wing extremism if they encounter any such incident in Bhubaneswar and Cuttack,” said Sarat Chandra Bisoyi, deputy commissioner of police (training).

That Bhubaneswar is vulnerable to Maoist attacks came to light following the recent arrest of Mili Panda, wife of top Maoist leader Sabyasachi Panda, from the city.

“The sepoys would be trained in dealing with arms, explosives and other sophisticated weapons. They would be given rigorous training by trained SOG (special operations group) personnel,” Bisoyi said.

Orissa director-general of police Mammohan Praharaj, who was here to pep up the young guns, laid emphasis on “behavioural” training.

“The sepoys should be trained on the human behaviour and basic social etiquette. Since they would work in Bhubaneswar and Cuttack, they need to be more articulate and sophisticated in their manner,” Praharaj said.

“Since the sepoys would accompany elite personalities in the twin cities, they should also learn English language properly,” he said.

DCP Bisyoi informed that the sepoys would also be updated with basic knowledge on computer courses. “We would also rope in some sociology lecturers to impart training on human behaviour to sepoys,” he told.