Dantewada aftermath: 53 CRPF officers to train with army

NEW DELHI: In a first, the CRPF has sent over 50 of its young officers to train with operational army units in order to hone their skills in tactical manoeuvres and counter-insurgency operations.

The decision to attach officers in the rank of assistant commandants, deputy commandants and commandants with the army for better training and understanding of counter-insurgency operations was taken by the Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS) in the aftermath of the deadly Dantewada Naxal ambush where 76 CRPF personnel were killed.

The latest officers' batch of about 53 Directly Appointed Gazetted Officers of the CRPF has been attached with various army units in the country, including with the Rashtriya Rifles unit operating in the Kashmir Valley.

The officers had joined the Central Reserve Police Force as assistant commandants in January after a gruelling 55-week training, including a special module in 'jungle survival course'.

"The CCS had decided that the cutting-edge of CRPF officers and commanders should have an exposure with the operational army units. The young officers are undertaking patrols, ambushes and tactical courses with these units in various parts of the country, from anti-militancy in Kashmir to counter-insurgency in the Northeast," a senior CRPF officer said.

The CRPF, which has deployed close to 76,000 personnel for anti-Naxal operations, had faced a big setback during the April 6 Dantewada ambush in Chhattisgarh last year and a number of measures were taken after the incident to equip the force to take on the Maoist challenge.