Attack on CRPF in Maharashtra signals change in Naxal tactics

New Delhi: Naxals, who typically hold fire during winters, changed tactics on Sunday when they ambushed a security patrol in Maharashtra’s Gadchiroli district, the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) confirmed.

The attack on the patrol party made of CRPF and Maharashtra Police killed one CRPF constable.

“There was exchange of heavy gunfire twice. The Naxals first attacked the troops at 5.30PM on Sunday after which the troops retaliated. Thereafter, the Naxals attacked the second time after the troops moved ahead to camp for the night,” a CRPF official based in New Delhi said on condition of anonymity.

The official said 70 troops of the CRPF’s 113 battalion and the group of 20 Naxals engaged in a gun battle for 30 minutes. However, with the Naxals swiftly taking away their injured and those killed by the forces, the CRPF could not ascertain the number of casualties suffered by the Naxals.

“In the winter, usually the Naxals lie low because they recruit and train new cadres from August to February. They then embark on a tactical counter offensive campaign (TCOC) from March to July when they target security forces,” said another CRPF official from Chhattisgarh’s Bastar district.

More such attacks are expected in the region spanning the Maharashtra-Madhya Pradesh-Chhattisgarh (MMC) tri-junction.

“This is a calculated deception as the Naxals are currently focusing on expansion in the area. In the coming months, the outfit is likely to target vulnerable camps and security forces at the tri-junction. They (Naxals) are continuing with their efforts to raise local issues, recruit villagers, strengthen their informer network and indulge in anti-government propaganda in the core villages of the tri-junction area,” an intelligence report on Naxal activity seen by Mint stated.

The report also states that in a review meeting held by the Naxal cadres of the MMC committee in March this year, the leaders “stressed the need to increase recruitment in the area, develop the leadership of the party members, improve guerilla skills of the armed cadres and observe due precautions against security forces to prevent arrest.”

The report also suggests there is a need to step up joint operations by security forces across these three states. It also asked security forces to exercise caution, mindful of Naxals’ aggression and their hunt for civilian informants.

“The Naxal leaders have asked cadres to identify informants of security forces and take action. The cadres are being trained to lay land mines and improving marksmanship for use against security forces,” it added.

A defence analyst said Naxals easily slip across state borders.

“State borders are less policed and so, Naxal movement is easy there. It is easy for them to merge with the crowd without being intercepted by the police. However, we need to work on our intelligence network to gather information about their movement and where they will strike next,” said Gurmeet Kanwal, defence analyst at the Institute of Defence Studies and Analyses in New Delhi.