Gurgaon: The CRPF, a key force in anti-Maoist operations, will have to acquire an intelligence-based strategy to combat Maoists who have organised themselves as a "regular fighting army", Home Minister P Chidambaram said on Wednesday.
Chidambaram said this while inaugurating the first-ever intelligence training school for Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) officers and personnel at its academy at Kadarpur in Gurgaon, adjacent to Delhi.
"Counter-insurgency and countering Left-wing extremists(LWE) require a very different strategy and approach. It's not intervening, setting things right in a few days and returning to your group centre or your headquarters.
"It's remaining deployed for a long time to take on an adversary such as the CPI (Maoists) which is organised as a regular fighting army," the Home Minister said terming the training school as a "milestone" in the force's history.
"All this has made new demands upon the CRPF. One has to develop intelligence about his adversary, one has to develop intelligence for operations, one has to work with the community and build confidence among the people in that area, undertake civic action programmes to win the support of the people," Chidambaram said.
"So, a lot of new activities have to be undertaken by the CRPF which is why it was felt that a small intelligence wing or a group in each battalion will be necessary (for CRPF)," he said.
The CRPF has deployed more than 70,000 troops for anti-Maoist operations in various states.
CRPF Director General K Vijay Kumar said on the occasion that the new school and the recently sanctioned snoop wing is special as it will be "customised" for force's operational requirements.
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