Maoist Attacks: CRPF Remains To Be Headless For Over Two Months

While officials in the Home Ministry say the appointment of a full-time DG is expected soon, those in the CRPF maintain there was "no word" with them in this regard.

Outlook Web Bureau

Updated on: 25 April 2017 11:54 am

The Central Reserved Police Force (CRPF) remains to be headless after the retirement of its last full-time Director General K Durga Prasad full-time chief on February 28 this year. The Union Home Ministry had appointed Additional DG Sudeep Lakhtakia to hold the charge in "additional" capacity who is supposed to hold the fort till a permanent DG is appointed.

CRPF, the country's largest paramilitary force with a strength of over three-lakh, has lost 38 personnel in line of duty in two major ambushes during the period. Notably, 12 CRPF personnel were killed in a Naxal ambush in Sukma in Chhattisgarh on March 11, while the force today suffered one its major casualties in the Left Wing Extremism (LWE) theatre after 25 jawans died in a repeat of the brazen Maoist assault.

The series of attacks come even as MoS Home Gangaram Hansraj Ahir claimed that Maoist violence had dipped to its lowest compared to the past few years.

While the day-to-day operations and work of CRPF is being conducted, the absence of a regular chief hits when big and important policy decisions are to be taken, the official said.

The paramilitary force that battles in heartland of insurgency in Chhattisgarh is yet to submit a report highlighting the lapses during the March attack. The MHA had reportedly asked CRPF to submit a report but they are yet to complete the inquiry and hence haven't submitted the report.

"The government will soon appoint a full time DG for the CRPF soon," the officer added.

In the first week of April, 168 recruits of the force suffered food poisoning at their camp in Pallipuram in Kerala and had to be hospitalised.

Home Minister Rajnath Singh had taken strong exception of the incident and also convened a meeting of all paramilitary chiefs asking them to keep a check on such instances.

"It is always good to have a full-time chief who is empowered to take confident policy decisions. It is surprising to see that the 3-lakh personnel force, which is also the largest paramilitary across the globe, is kept headless and without a regular DG for well about two months," another officer said.

The CRPF, meanwhile, claimed that a 'considerable' number of Maoists are believed to have been killed in retaliatory action by CRPF men after the attack on them, though no bodies have yet been recovered.

With PTI Inputs