Jharkhand Police undergo training to combat Maoist attacks

In a step to combat the increase in Maoist violence, Jharkhand Police personnel were trained here so that they can retaliate to attacks independently without the assistance of the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF).

The measures to train police personnel has come after multiple incidents of gunfight between the Maoists and security forces in the area, in which the latter incurs high numbers of causalities.

In an endeavor to maximize efficiency and minimize loss, the Jharkhand Police is being trained under the motto-'one bullet, one body'. Till now, the role of the police force was merely confined to helping the CRPF.

Jharkhand police inspector Mohammad Sultan Ahmed said the eventual aim was to ensure minimum wastage of bullets with maximum accuracy during a gun battle with the Maoists.

"The objective of imparting them with this weapon training is to ensure that our one bullet kills one enemy. We are preparing ourselves in this way so that we do not need the assistance of the Central Reserve Police Force and so that we acquire skills in order that we are ready to take on the insurgents, the militants and the Maoists. We are now fully geared to combat them," said Ahmed on Monday.

Officers belonging to the Jharkhand Armed Force, the railway police and the crime department are being trained to become sharp shooters. The police personnel are being equipped with modern weapons.

The police personnel are reportedly enthusiastic about the training programme and are hoping to root out the Maoists completely without any fear.

The Maoist insurgents are estimated to number between 6,000 and 8,000 hardcore fighters in nearly a third of India's 630 districts. While they have made few inroads into cities, they have spread into rural pockets in 20 of 28 states.

Maoists claim they are fighting for the rights of poor farmers and landless labourers. Thousands have been killed in the insurgency since the late 1960s.

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has described the Maoist insurgency as the country's biggest internal security challenge.