‘Bastariya’ battalion to take on Maoists

Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh will attend the commissioning in Raipur of the ‘Bastariya’ battalion of the CRPF, formed with more than 534 tribal youth from Chhattisgarh.

The squad has 33% representation of women with 189 mahila constables. The new battalion has been numbered 241.

The battalion will be immediately deployed for anti-naxal operations in some of the worst-affected areas such as Sukma, Dantewada and Bijapur, a senior official said. With recruits from Sukma, Dantewada, Narayanpur and Bijapur districts of undivided Bastar, the battalion has been raised to strengthen operations in areas where security forces have witnessed the most reverses owing to a lack of concrete intelligence and familiarisation with locals and the topography.

The recruits have been trained for about 44 weeks in jungle warfare, firing, map reading, police laws and unarmed combat, the official said. “These jawans, after the parade, will be deployed in core areas of Chhattisgarh to fight naxals alongside the normal CRPF and CoBRA battalions,” a CRPF statement said.