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The Chhattisgarh Director-General (DG)
of Police has announced a slew of
measures including using traditional
protection systems, weapons, more
Central Government troops, use of
civilians, and more aggressive
patrolling to fight Mao inspired
terrorism.
Apparently, he has asked for the use
of drums, sirens, and country guard
dogs outside police stations and Salwa
Judum (peace initiative) camps which
Naxals typically attack at night.
Salwa Judum is a peace movement that
is opposed to the orgy or violence
that the Naxalites have unleashed in
the name of tribals.
DG O.P. Rathor also announced that
four more battalions of Central
Paramilitary Forces will reach Bastar
to aggressively dominate that area. He
has offered rewards for information on
guns and return of guns, encouraged
youth to be trained in traditional
weapons such as bows and sticks, and
ordered the erection of walls around
Salwa Judum camps. About 150 youth
will be used for nighttime patrolling.
Surprisingly, State Home Minister Ram
Vichar Netam contradicted Federal Home
Ministry claims that the movement has
been stopped because of large civilian
death and said that the Salwa Judum
movement will continue. Since the
movement started a year ago, 300
people, including 260 civilians, were
killed in the most gruesome fashion.
Recently, 12 people of a marriage
party were blown up and another 15 who
went back to their villages from Salwa
Judum camps were massacred.
While infusing confidence in people
and using their traditional knowledge
and layout of the land is beneficial,
the continuation of this program is
meaningless unless they are as armed
as the terrorists. Self-loading rifle
armed Village Defense Committees in
Jammu & Kashmir where former soldiers
live has proved no match for AK-47
assault rifle armed terrorists.
Chhattisgarh has employed the services
of K.P.S. Gill, who is credited with
bringing down terrorism in Punjab.
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