Chhattisgarh Jungle warfare training College helps policemen take on Maoists

Kanker (Chhattisgarh), Apr 23 (ANI): Police personnel of Chhattisgarh and other States are undergoing a rigorous training programme at the State government's Counter Terrorism and Jungle Warfare College (CTJW) in Kanker district which equips them to take on Maoists.

The police and para-military troops are trained in guerrilla warfare, and the motto of the college is to 'fight guerrillas like guerrillas'.

The police undergo reorientation at the college. In the fight against Naxals, they have to leave police stations and roads, and enter into the jungles. "If we have to give chase to Naxals (Maoists) by entering their den, we need to adopt new methods of fighting and to impart these new methods this college has been opened," said B. K. Ponwar, who set up the school in April 2005 after retiring from the Army.

"We train the policemen to live in jungles and become mentally and physically tough to take on the enemy", he added.

Policemen who undergo training at the College are also briefed about the problems faced by Naxal affected villages. Issues relating to development and social and political aspects of the Naxal problem also form part of the training programme

Vishwaranjan Singh, Director General of Police (DGP) of Chhattisgarh, informed a visiting media team that the jungle warfare college trained policemen to face ground realities in fighting the Naxals.

"This college has played an important role in building pressure on the Maoists " since its establishment in 2005," he added.

Around 1,800 soldiers and 12 Indian Police Services (IPS) officers trained in the college have recorded major successes in many anti-Maoist operations carried out by them.

"Most of those trained are from the Chhattisgarh police but we admit policemen from other States also. Every 45 days, we are training nearly 600 policemen," Brigadier Ponwar said.

The Maoists have spread into rural pockets of 20 of India's 28 states. The Prime Minister, Dr. Manmohan Singh, has termed the Maoists India's gravest internal security threat.

Initially, the Maoists contended they are fighting for the rights of the poor, marginal farmers and the landless labourers, whereas over the past two decades, they have turned extremely violent, not hesitating in killing civilians on the pretext they are police informers. (ANI)