News Analysis India

Tag: CRPF

  • 698 new COVID cases in Chhattisgarh, 38 CRPF personnel contract virus

    By PTI

    RAIPUR: Chhattisgarh on Monday recorded 698 fresh coronavirus positive cases, taking the overall tally to 10,09,454, an official said.

    The state has been seeing a steady rise in cases since the last week.

    The death toll remained unchanged at 13,601 on Monday as no fresh COVID-19 fatality was reported.

    The cumulative number of recoveries in Chhattisgarh rose to 9,93,911 after 11 people were discharged from hospitals and 18 completed home isolation during the day, leaving the state with 1,942 active cases, the official said.

    “Raipur recorded 222 cases, followed by 133 in Bilaspur, 103 in Raigarh, 43 in Durg and 39 in Korba. No fresh cases were reported in five districts, while 11 districts saw cases between 1 to 10. With 27,646 samples being examined during the day, the number of tests in Chhattisgarh went up to 1,50,03,941,” the official said.

    Chhattisgarh’s coronavirus figures are as follows: Positive cases 10,09,454, New cases 698, Death toll 13,601, Recovered 9,93,911, Active cases 1,942, today tests 27,646, Total tests 1,50,03,941.

    As many as 38 personnel of the CRPF’s jungle warfare unit CoBRA tested positive for coronavirus in Chhattisgarh’s Naxal-hit Sukma district on Monday following which they were quarantined in their camp, officials said.

    The personnel belong to the 202nd battalion of the Commando Battalion for Resolute Action (CoBRA), an elite wing of the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF), they said.

    “As many as 75 personnel posted in the Temelwada camp of the district were subjected to rapid antigen test. Of them, 38 tested positive for the infection following which they were quarantined in their camp,” Sukma Chief Medical and Health Officer (CMHO) CV Bansod said.

    Swab samples of remaining jawans were sent for RT-PCR tests to Jagdalpur, the headquarters of Bastar district, he said, adding contact tracing has been undertaken for coronavirus positive CoBRA personnel.

    Sukma Superintendent of Police Sunil Sharma said these troops from the CoBRA’ 202nd battalion, who hail from different parts of the country, had reached Sukma on Sunday to report to duty at their unit’s camp in Temelwada.

    As per COVID-19-related protocols, they were subjected to tests for the infection, he added.

    The infected jawans were placed under isolation within the camp, Sharma added.

    Amid a rise in COVID-19 cases in Chhattisgarh, Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel on Monday chaired an emergency meeting of ministers, senior officials and asked district level authorities to increase testing and also impose restrictions on major public events to prevent crowding.

    Coronavirus cases are rising rapidly and it seems a third wave of infections is approaching, the CM said, but added that a lockdown will be the last option after various curbs and measures are implemented.

    “Districts should remain alert. The number of daily tests must increase and all arrangements must be in place in hospitals,” he said.

    Later, talking to reporters after the meeting, Baghel said officials have been told to coordinate with all departments, business sector, industry associations and other organizations before taking further decisions to deal with the outbreak.

    The third wave seems to be different from the first and second ones and less dangerous but alertness will have to be maintained as the infection was spreading in Delhi, Mumbai etc, the CM said.

    “A lockdown will be the last option. As of now, efforts are being made to increase testing at airports, railway stations and bus stands as well as adherence to quarantine and isolation practices. If the cases continue to rise even after such efforts, then in the last stage we will head for a lockdown,” he said.

    On Sunday, Chhattisgarh had reported 290 COVID-19 cases, taking the tally to 10,08,756, including 13,601 deaths, leaving the state with an active caseload of 1,273.

  • CRPF’s assistant sub-inspector shoots himself dead in Chhattisgarh

    By PTI

    GARIABAND: An assistant sub-inspector of the CRPF allegedly committed suicide by shooting himself with his service rifle in Chhattisgarh’s Gariaband district, police said on Thursday.

    ASI Udayvir Singh, belonging to the 65th battalion of the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF), took the extreme step on Wednesday afternoon at the paramilitary’s camp in Darripara village under Bindranawagarh police station limits, Gariaband’s Additional Superintendent of Police Chandresh Singh Thakur told PTI.

    When Singh’s colleagues heard the gunshot, they rushed to the spot and found him lying in a pool of blood.

    He was rushed to a local hospital where he was declared brought dead, the official said.

    Singh was a native of Uttar Pradesh, he said, adding that a probe is on to ascertain the exact reason which prompted him to take the extreme step.

    The CRPF has been deployed for anti-Naxal operations in Gariaband district, located about 90 km from the state capital Raipur.

    (Assistance for those having suicidal thoughts is available on Tamil Nadu’s health helpline 104 and Sneha’s suicide prevention helpline 044-24640050)

  • Grenade attack in Baramulla, three including CRPF personnel injured

    By PTI

    SRINAGAR: Two CRPF personnel and a civilian were injured in a grenade attack by terrorists in Baramulla district of Jammu and Kashmir on Wednesday, police said.

    “At about 11:15 am, terrorists hurled a grenade near Palhallan Chowk in Pattan area of the north Kashmir district,” a police official said.

    Further details are awaited.

  • J&K: Army scales down hunt for hiding militants, may focus on plugging gaps

    Express News Service

    SRINAGAR:  The Army has scaled down its month-long search operation against militants in the dense forest areas of Poonch and Rajouri districts in Jammu and Kashmir as no fresh contact has been established with the militants.

    The well-armed and well-trained militants have been engaging soldiers in multiple gunfights in the forests in which nine army men, including two Junior Commissioned Officers (JCOs), have lost their lives.

    An army official told this newspaper that the scale of operation against the militants in the forest areas has been scaled down.

    “Some sort of cordon is still there. A few army parties are still there. However, the strength of troops that was there during the initial phase of operation is not there now,” said the official.

    The ongoing operation against militants is one of the longest against militants in the restive Union Territory.

    The official said no body of militant or weapons have been recovered during the search operations.

    The Army used drones, helicopters and also pressed para commandos into service to track down the militants, whose exact number is not known. Retired Army brigadier Anil Gupta said counter-insurgency grid had been disturbed and the security forces would have learnt the lesson from the operation.

    “Now after the Poonch operation, security forces would take measures to plug those gaps to give no space to militants,” he said.

    Gupta said there is apprehension that some militants, who might have infiltrated across the border, may have reached south Kashmir by passing through the dense forests without being detected.

    Former J&K police chief Kuldip Khoda said since nine soldiers have been killed in gunfights with militants, it means the militant group is bigger and well-armed.  

    According to security officials, the dense forest area and the caves in the twin border districts of Poonch and Rajouri can lead a person to Bafliaz in Poonch and there from Shopian in south Kashmir. 

    Two Militants killed in separate gunfights 

    SRINAGAR: Two militants were killed in two separate gunfights with security forces in Kulgam and Srinagar on Thursday.

    An unidentified militant was killed in encounter when security forces launched a search operation in Kulgam.

    The second encounter erupted in Bemina area of uptown Srinagar in the evening, leading to death of another militant.

  • India to construct 12 crucial roads to neutralise Naxal menace

    Express News Service

    NEW DELHI:  In what may prove to be a decisive step in India’s battle against Naxals, the government has ordered construction in ‘mission mode’ of 12 crucial roads that lie deep in the Naxal-dominated belt. Sources said construction on some of these roads is pending for over a decade now.

    Once constructed, these roads will allow mass mobilisation of forces in areas that they have not been able to penetrate in large numbers. These 12 roads, located in the three worst Naxal-hit Chhattisgarh districts — Sukma, Bijapur and Dantewada — covering about 478.6 kms have been sanctioned. But work on 214.8 kms is still pending.

    “The target is completing 76.8 kms of roads pending by June. The  remaining work will be completed on a priority basis in the next few years. The idea is to reclaim the region and uproot the Maoists,” a home ministry official said.

    The difficulty associated with the construction of these roads can be gauged from the fact that 53 CRPF personnel have been killed during construction over the last eight years. The Director General of Central Reserve Police Force, the primary combat force against Naxals, has instructed troops to expedite completion of work on the 12 roads in coordination with Chhattisgarh police.

    Of the 12 roads, five fall in Sukma, one in Dantewada and four in Bijapur. Two are on the Bijapur-Sukma border and Dantewada-Sukma border. These roads will not only prove pivotal for the development of locals in the area but it would be a victory of security forces against Maoists in their strongest base.

    According to sources, two such roads were sanctioned in 2012 and 2015, but work is yet to begin. On the 56-km Dornapal-Jagargunda road, work on 22 kms is pending.  The decision to construct these roads was taken in view of the decline in violence as well as the geographical spread of Left-wing extremism over the past decade. CRPF has not suffered a single casualty during road construction in the last four years which is a big achievement, a senior official pointed out.

    “Maoists know the roads will be a big setback for them. Time and again they have launched attacks to delay the construction work,” said an official in Chhattisgarh.

  • India to construct 12 crucial roads in ‘mission mode’to neutralise Naxal menace

    Express News Service

    NEW DELHI: In what may turn out to be a decisive, final step in the country’s battle against Naxals, the government has ordered construction work in ‘mission mode’ of 12 crucial roads that lie deep in the Naxal dominated belt.

    Sources told this newspaper that construction work on some of these roads has been pending for more than a decade now. The roads, once constructed, will allow mass mobilization of security forces in areas that the forces have not been able to penetrate till now in large numbers. Some of these roads were functional, sources added, till around three decades ago when Naxals blew them up with the purpose of keeping the forces away.

    These 12 crucial roads, located in the three worst Naxal-hit districts in the country—Sukma, Bijapur and Dantewada; all in Chhattisgarh–covering about 478.6 kms have been sanctioned over the past one decade but 214.8 kms of road construction is still pending, according to senior home ministry officials.

    “The decision has been taken in view of the marked improvement in the security situation on the ground. The target is to complete 76.8 km of pending road construction by June next year and the remaining pending work will be completed on a priority basis in the next few years too. Idea is to reclaim the region in Maoists’ heartland and uproot them,” a top home ministry official said.

    The enormity of completing the construction of these roads can be gauged from the fact that as many as 53 CRPF personnel have been killed during the construction of these roads over the last eight years. 17 CRPF jawans have been injured too during construction work of these roads since 2014, home ministry data accessed by this newspaper reveals. The Director-General of Central Reserve Police Force, the primary combat force against Naxals in areas affected by Left Wing Extremism, has instructed the troops on the ground to expedite completion of work of the 12 critical roads on mission mode in coordination with Chhattisgarh police, sources said.

    Of the 12 roads, five falls in Sukma district, one in Dantewada, and four are in the Bijapur district while two roads are located on the Bijapur-Sukma border and Dantewada-Sukma border. The roads will not only prove pivotal for the development of locals in the area but it would be a victory of security forces against Maoists in their strongest base.

    According to sources, two such roads — one connecting Bheji to Chintagufa (which is to be about 30 km long) and the other 8 km long stretch Golapalli to Paidagudem-were sanctioned in the year 2012 and 2015—but the work on these roads is yet to begin. However, the government has set a target of 10 km stretch of Bheji-Chintagufa road by June next year and the entire Golapalli-Paidagudem is to be built by March next year.

    Another 38.8-km long crucial road connecting Pali to Barsoor in Dantewada district–that was sanctioned in July 2010–is to be completed by June next year, as per the government’s blueprint.

    For the important 56-km long Dornapal-Jagargunda road that was sanctioned in September 2015, 22-km work is still pending and the government is eying a target of mid-2023 to complete the stretch, sources said.

    The decision has been taken in view of the steep decline in violence levels as well as the geographical spread of Left-wing extremism in the country over the past decade. CRPF has not suffered a single casualty during road construction activities in the past four years which is a big achievement of the force, a senior CRPF official pointed out.

    “Maoists know the roads will be a big setback for them and therefore, time and again they have launched some of their deadliest attacks against security forces involved in the construction process to delay the construction work,” said the paramilitary official, who is posted in Chhattisgarh.

    The quadrilateral patch of Sukma, from Dornapal to Kistaram and Bheji to Jagargunda on Gollapalli track serves as a haven for Naxals. The area helps ultras in movement across Andhra Pradesh, Telangana Odisha and Maharashtra through Chhattisgarh, but also for their guerrilla warfare training amid the dense forests and inaccessible terrain. 

  • India to construct 12 crucial roads in ‘mission mode’ to neutralise Naxal menace

    Express News Service

    NEW DELHI: In what may turn out to be a decisive, final step in the country’s battle against Naxals, the government has ordered construction work in ‘mission mode’ of 12 crucial roads that lie deep in the Naxal dominated belt.

    Sources told this newspaper that construction work on some of these roads has been pending for more than a decade now. The roads, once constructed, will allow mass mobilization of security forces in areas that the forces have not been able to penetrate till now in large numbers. Some of these roads were functional, sources added, till around three decades ago when Naxals blew them up with the purpose of keeping the forces away.

    These 12 crucial roads, located in the three worst Naxal-hit districts in the country—Sukma, Bijapur and Dantewada; all in Chhattisgarh–covering about 478.6 kms have been sanctioned over the past one decade but 214.8 kms of road construction is still pending, according to senior home ministry officials.

    “The decision has been taken in view of the marked improvement in the security situation on the ground. The target is to complete 76.8 km of pending road construction by June next year and the remaining pending work will be completed on a priority basis in the next few years too. Idea is to reclaim the region in Maoists’ heartland and uproot them,” a top home ministry official said.

    The enormity of completing the construction of these roads can be gauged from the fact that as many as 53 CRPF personnel have been killed during the construction of these roads over the last eight years. 17 CRPF jawans have been injured too during construction work of these roads since 2014, home ministry data accessed by this newspaper reveals. The Director-General of Central Reserve Police Force, the primary combat force against Naxals in areas affected by Left Wing Extremism, has instructed the troops on the ground to expedite completion of work of the 12 critical roads on mission mode in coordination with Chhattisgarh police, sources said.

    Of the 12 roads, five falls in Sukma district, one in Dantewada, and four are in the Bijapur district while two roads are located on the Bijapur-Sukma border and Dantewada-Sukma border. The roads will not only prove pivotal for the development of locals in the area but it would be a victory of security forces against Maoists in their strongest base.

    According to sources, two such roads — one connecting Bheji to Chintagufa (which is to be about 30 km long) and the other 8 km long stretch Golapalli to Paidagudem-were sanctioned in the year 2012 and 2015—but the work on these roads is yet to begin. However, the government has set a target of 10 km stretch of Bheji-Chintagufa road by June next year and the entire Golapalli-Paidagudem is to be built by March next year.

    Another 38.8-km long crucial road connecting Pali to Barsoor in Dantewada district–that was sanctioned in July 2010–is to be completed by June next year, as per the government’s blueprint.

    For the important 56-km long Dornapal-Jagargunda road that was sanctioned in September 2015, 22-km work is still pending and the government is eying a target of mid-2023 to complete the stretch, sources said.

    The decision has been taken in view of the steep decline in violence levels as well as the geographical spread of Left-wing extremism in the country over the past decade. CRPF has not suffered a single casualty during road construction activities in the past four years which is a big achievement of the force, a senior CRPF official pointed out.

    “Maoists know the roads will be a big setback for them and therefore, time and again they have launched some of their deadliest attacks against security forces involved in the construction process to delay the construction work,” said the paramilitary official, who is posted in Chhattisgarh.

    The quadrilateral patch of Sukma, from Dornapal to Kistaram and Bheji to Jagargunda on Gollapalli track serves as a haven for Naxals. The area helps ultras in movement across Andhra Pradesh, Telangana Odisha and Maharashtra through Chhattisgarh, but also for their guerrilla warfare training amid the dense forests and inaccessible terrain. 

  • 500 more troops in J&K, security upped amid targeted killings of civilians and forces

    Express News Service

    NEW DELHI:  The Central government has ordered ramping up of security measures in Jammu and Kashmir to avert an October like situation which recorded a spate of targeted killings particularly of civilians and security personnel, top officials said on Tuesday.

    The measures include deployment of five new companies comprising around 500 troops of Central Reserve Police Force in the valley, establishment of more bunkers to monitor movement of terrorists, increased frisking and checking of vehicles.

    A senior CRPF official said that an odd 15,000 people and 8,000 vehicles are being checked daily.

    “It is difficult to  control civilian killings but we are taking additional measures to stop such  incidents. Visibility of forces, especially at nights has been increased. More surprise checkpoints and flash checkpoints have been set up in past month,” the official said.

    The measures follow a three day visit by union home minister Amit Shah to the valley in October which alone recorded 13 civilian killings. The announcement also comes a day after another civilian Mohd Ibrahim Khan was was shot dead by terrorists in Srinagar. At a press briefing on Tuesday, a CRPF spokesperson said that the force has taken additional measures to counter terrorism in the valley after a spate of targeted killings in the past few months.

    The spokesperson added that the new deployment is in addition to about 5,000 CAPF troops deployed in October just around Shah’s visit to the union territory. 

    The security forces and the National Investigation Agency have intensified the search for active militants in the valley, the spokesperson said.

    As of November 9, 112 terrorists have been killed this year while the number of terrorists apprehended so far this year is 135, he said.

    The spokesperson also spoke about the measures taken by CRPF in Left Wing Extremism (LWE) areas to counter Naxalism.

    As many as 486 Maoists have surrendered this year and 603 have been apprehended as of date, the spokesperson said, adding that security forces also neutralied 13 Maoists. 

    Meanwhile, state BJP president Ravinder Raina on Tuesday said the targeted killing of innocent civilians by terrorists in the valley is a conspiracy of Pakistan to disturb peace in the Union Territory.

    He said Pakistan is the biggest enemy of Kashmiri Muslims and Islam.

    Condemning the killing of a salesman, Mohammad Ibrahim Khan, at Bohri Kadal locality of downtown Srinagar on Monday evening, Raina said Pakistani cowards have committed another grave sin by shedding the blood of an innocent who was out to earn a livelihood for his family.

    “The killing of civilians shows the frustration of Pakistan which is a murderer of Kashmiri Muslims and enemy of Islam. Pakistani terrorists are frustrated by the successful counter-insurgency operations by our police, paramilitary forces and army and have hence resorted to the killings of unarmed civilians under the cover of darkness to disturb the peaceful atmosphere,” Raina said.

    He said the Pakistani terrorists have killed thousands of innocents over the past 30 years but “our forces are determined to finish them along with their supporters and sympathisers”.

    Raina said even the creator would not forgive them for their misdeeds.

    Meanwhile, dozens of activists of the Shiv Sena Dogra Front staged a protest at Rani Park here against the civilian killings in the valley.

    The protesters led by their president Ashok Gupta chanted slogans against Pakistan and terrorists and later dispersed peacefully, officials said.

    (With PTI Inputs)

  • Fratricides on rise, CRPF plans informal discussion forums for jawans

    Express News Service

    NEW DELHI:  Following the shocking incident of fratricide by a CRPF jawan in Chhattisgarh that claimed the lives of four of his colleagues, this newspaper accessed records of fratricides and suicides among CRPF personnel and found that the highest number of such incidents have been committed this year compared to previous years. 

    As far as suicides are concerned, the number by the end of this year may surpass the previous highest total.

    A total of 16 deaths in fratricide have been reported from CRPF in the last four years with six jawans dying in five shootouts this year alone. 

    As of November 8, as many as 48 suicides have been reported in the CRPF.  

    The number of suicides among CRPF personnel stood at 29 in 2016, according to data from the home ministry, which handles the affairs of the Central Armed Police Forces (CAPFs).

    In 2017, 2018 and 2019 and 2020 the number of suicides among the central force was 38, 38, 43 and 60, respectively.

    Officials told this newspaper that the CRPF has decided to give a fresh push to informal, open-style discussions called ‘Chaupals’ for jawans. 

    In an official communication, DG CRPF Kuldiep Singh has asked senior officials to hold four such discussions in a week.

    All officials of the rank of IGs have been instructed to ensure that Chaupals are held in an informal setting so that jawans are encouraged to speak up without fear or pressure, said officials in the know.

  • Chhattisgarh: CRPF jawan shoots dead four colleagues in base camp, three more injured

    Express News Service

    RAIPUR: Four CRPF personnel were killed and three others injured after their colleague opened fire at them in Lingapalli base camp located in the strife-torn Sukma district, about 500 km south of Raipur, on Monday.

    The constable, Ritesh Ranjan, was reportedly enraged over the persistent deriding remarks against him by other personnel in the camp of 50th battalion of CRPF.

    “During the small hours of the day, the jawan opened fire. It’s terrible incident for us. The jawan was overpowered by others in the camp and taken into custody. Two personnel died on the spot. Two others while being taken to the hospital at Bhadrachalam (Telangana state), which is nearest to the Lingapalli camp”, said H K Sahu, CRPF spokesperson.

    The injured will soon be airlifted to Chhattisgarh capital Raipur, he added. Meanwhile, senior CRPF officials have rushed to the camp.

    “The reason behind the incident is yet to be ascertained. However according to the preliminary feedback received from the other security personnel in the camp, some jawans used to poke fun at him. It seems that Ranjan took the extreme step owing to his weak mental health and apparent distress”, Sukma SP Sunil Sharma told The New Indian Express.

    The incident nevertheless has alarmed the armed forces deployed in the anti-Maoist operations in the conflict-ridden Bastar zone.