Anti-Naxal operations: Government deploys 1,000 fresh ITBP personnel in Chhattisgarh

NEW DELHI: In order to bolster anti-Naxal operations in Chhattisgarh, government has deployed a fresh contingent of about 1,000 Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) personnel in the state.

The specially trained contingent of the paramilitary will be initially inducted to operate in Rajnandgaon district of the state, which borders Madhya Pradesh.

"The squad will also be used to intensify anti-Maoist operations along the state's borders. The troops of the unit will also render sanitisation duties in order to secure helicopter operations," a senior officer said.

ITBP has marked its 46th battalion for the task and it will join three of its other battalions that are already deployed in the district for similar operations.

"The unit is getting inducted into the state at present," the officer added.

The officer said the force was tasked with the job as it has undertaken good operations in the particular district in the past and hence their responsibilities have been widened.

Chhattisgarh already has over 32,000 personnel of various paramilitary forces like Central Reserve Police Force, Border Security Force and ITBP to undertake these operations.

The deployment of the squad was also discussed during the recent meeting of Left Wing Extremism states which was chaired by Home Minister Rajnath Singh at his office few weeks back.

ITBP is the mandated border guarding force for the 3,488-km long Indo-China border and it was inducted into anti-Naxal operations first in 2009.