Now, STF headed by Col to kill Naxals

6 Sep 2007, 0151 hrs IST,Amitabh Tiwari,TNN


RAIPUR: Frustrated by repeated attacks on an ill-trained and ill-equipped police force, Chhattisgarh is set to roll out the heavy artillery against Naxals. The state government has constituted a Special Task Force (STF), on the lines of Andhra Pradesh's Greyhounds, headed by an Army officer.

DGP Chhattisgarh Vishwaranjan said around 4,000 crack personnel will be deployed with the STF. "The STF personnel will be provided with commando training and advanced weapons to launch an offensive against Maoist extremists inside the dense jungles. These highly-trained security personnel will be able to launch attacks against rebels," he said.

"A serving officer of the rank of colonel, Rajnish Sharma, has been selected to command the STF. He will shortly resign from the Army and join Chhattisgarh Police," the state police chief added. Sharma will have the rank of DIG.

The government is picking STF personnel from the existing police force. About 1,300 officers of the age group of 18-25 years have already been selected. The STF men are to be trained at the jungle warfare school at Kanker.

The decision to constitute the STF, is the latest attempt on the part of the Raman Singh government to tackle Maoist rebels who have hit the police and the rag-tag civil defence unit called Salva Judum almost at will.