Jaideep Shenoy/The Hindu
Mangalore, Mar 15: The Union Government has sanctioned 10 Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) battalions for ongoing anti-naxalite operations in the country, CRPF Additional Director-General of Police Niraj Ranjan Das has said.
Each battalion will consist of 1,100 personnel, and the battalions once raised will be trained exclusively in jungle operations, which is the terrain in which most naxalite organisations in the country are operating.
In an informal chat with The Hindu on the sidelines of a programme organised by Rotary Club of Mangalore here on Thursday, Mr. Das said, “Left-wing extremism is the gravest threat that India faces today.” While the country faced the menace of jihadi terrorism as well, the challenge faced in tackling home-grown naxal activities, spread across 16 States and 192 districts, was a major concern, he said.