The Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS) deliberated on the Home Ministry's proposals for possible use of forces in anti-Naxal operations on Thursday, but no final decision is understood to have been taken. The meeting, chaired by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, debated the issue of deployment of army in Left-wing extremists-affected areas and use of more Indian Air Force helicopters for logistics support to the paramilitary engaged in operations against Maoists.
Home Minister P Chidambaram is learnt to have placed his ministry's suggestions on widening the scope of anti-Naxal operations in the states affected by the menace, but no consensus was arrived at on the proposals, sources said. The CCS is likely to meet again for shortly for another round of discussions on the matter, they said. In the wake of the recent spurt in Naxal violence, especially targeting civilians, the home ministry is looking at taking help of the army. Among the proposals said to have been placed before the CCS include using the army's engineers in demining operations, assistance of special forces in planning and undertaking precision strikes, and use of more IAF choppers in ferrying troops, medical evacuation and transporting equipment. However, the defence ministry's opinion is said to be in variance with the home ministry's.
Defence Minister A K Antony,
who attended the meeting along with Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee, has often expressed the opinion that the armed forces should be used as a last resort, as the fight would necessarily be against Indian citizens. The army too has conveyed that it could be used in operations only after the Left-wing affected districts were declared as disturbed areas and the Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act was brought into force in those areas. However, the Defence Ministry was inclined to provide the paramilitary, central and state police forces training in anti-Naxal operations. Already, the army has trained 47,000 personnel of the Central Reserve Police Force and state police since 2006 and has also loaned a brigadier-rank officer as the pointman to provide advice and direction to the anti-Maoists operations already in progress in the states.
The IAF, on its part, has sent four of its Mi-17 choppers to assist the paramilitary forces in logistics, apart from two Border Security Force choppers deployed for the purpose. It has also conveyed that it would be difficult for its to provide more choppers for such operations due to its own commitments. Meanwhile, the army moved ahead to create a Chhattisgarh and Orissa sub-area with about 15,000 troops under it. But how would these troops be used in the two states is not yet known, though a sub-area is usually a peace station.