As the Centre steps up operations in the red belt, Maharashtra is getting 40 anti-mine vehicles worth R1.25 crore each, and 146 imported night-vision cameras and 76 thermal imagers, among others
Illustration/ Ravi Jadhav
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Come February and the C-60 commandos and special police forces operating in Maoist-affected Gadchiroli district will be getting state-of-the-art gadgets worth Rs 100 crore to assist them in night combat operations. The procurement comes after it was found that commandos were vulnerable against the guerilla tactics of the Maoists when they are out in the jungle at night.
While the force have weapons like Insas rifles, Kalashnikovs, sub-machine guns, grenade launchers, etc, they was virtually no technological support for carrying out night operations, said a senior officer from State Police Headquarters.
Sources said that just the last one week witnessed four instances of exchange of fire between Maoists and the commandos during late night operations in the thick forested areas of the district bordering Chhattisgarh.
It is also around February that the Maoists launch Tactical Counter Offensive Campaigns, a pushback against security forces, across the red belt.
Outdated equipment
“With only 15 outdated night vision cameras, which are seldom of any use, we were reduced to conducting night operations merely banking on ground experience, making the force vulnerable,” said Additional Director General of Police (Special Operation) Bipin Bihari, who acknowledged that the number of exchanges have gone up in recent times.
He said while earlier there would be four to five nighttime gunbattles a month, the frequency has gone up. While there were no casualties for the security forces, one Maoist was killed last week.
“The government has sanctioned funds to procure night vision cameras, thermal imagers and anti-mine personnel vehicles,” he said. “We have already short-listed the company, who are procuring the same as per tender specifications.”
The anti-mine vehicles, each of which will cost Rs 1.25 crore, are made at the ordnance factory in Jabalpur. Maharashtra will get 40 of them. Similarly, 146 night vision cameras and 76 thermal imagers are being imported and will be assembled by companies based in Bangalore and Hyderabad.
Focus on night ops
Senior police officers told mid-day that since they intensified daytime combing operations, the Maoists have become active in the night.
Acting on specific intelligence, the security forces, too, have started nighttime combing operations in recent weeks.
But their night vision cameras, which are supposed to detect objects at 200 metres, failed during one of the operations, and a commando used his torch when he spotted some movement around him.
“The Maoists opened fire on us and escaped,” said Bipin Bihari.
“Such act could endanger lives and we are hopeful that along with sophisticated gadgets will help us get good results on ground.”
Superintendent of Police (Gadchiroli) Abhinav Deshmukh said, “The equipment will be given to both C-60 commandos and the local district police,” said Abhinav Deshmukh, Superintendent of Police, Gadchiroli.
“The thermal imagers and the anti-land mine vehicles will make our operations faster and smoother.”
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