CRPF to battle Maoists with new strategies

The CRPF, the country's largest paramilitary force, will unleash new strategies to combat Maoist guerrillas, new CRPF chief Prakash Mishra said Monday.

IPS officer Mishra, who took charge as director general of the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) Monday, said: "We will adopt new counter strategies to combat Maoism. CRPF personnel will be trained accordingly."

He said his special focus would be on curbing the growing Maoist threat along the borders of Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand and Bihar.

There was a need to ensure fewer casualties among security personnel during anti-Maoist operations, he added.

Mishra, a former chief of Odisha Police, said his Odisha experience would be useful in other states while dealing with the Maoists.

Speaking on the Odisha government's request for more CRPF battalions and helicopters, he said the home ministry would take the final decision if the state government properly presented its demand.