SUKMA: In recent years, with every Maoist ambush the security personnel were not just killed but have also lost sophisticated weapons to the left-wing extremists in the virtual war zone of Bastar, south Chhattisgarh.
At Burkapal in Sukma on Monday, armed Maoist cadre killed 25 jawans of the Central Reserve Police Forces (CRPF) and walked away with over 27 modern sophisticated weapons, which according to guerrilla warfare experts make them capable of raising a new militarised platoon.
In fact, the loss of weapons in restive Bastar was the biggest since 2010, to be added to the Maoists' armoury.
Figures reveal that Maoists have in their command around 15 modern under barrel grenade launcher (UBGL), along with over seventy shells snatched from the security forces (mostly CRPF) in Bastar during the last three years.
The powerful UBGL is capable of launching grenades with an effective range of some 400 metres to target. A single shell has the capability to kill over 20 people, said a retired army officer.
From the Sukma ambush alone, the rebels took away 12 AK-47 rifles, 4 AKM rifles (modernised version of the AK-47), 3 INSAS lethal automatic rifles, 2 light machine guns (LMG), 5 UBGL with 55 shells, two binoculars, 15 radio sets, 22 bullet proof jackets, 101 magazines of different assault rifles, over 3,500 rounds of AK-47 ammunition, 10 batteries and a metal detector to locate underground explosives.
The threat perception gained ground as the People’s Liberation Guerrilla Army (PLGA) -- the Maoists military wing -- might raise yet another full-fledged platoon.
“It’s a very serious and dangerous situation and can be counter-productive. No efforts are being made to recover the large number of weapons taken by the Maoists, who can further expand and strengthen the Maoist movement that was shrinking effectively, along the Red Corridor. They might even use the looted arms in adjoining Odisha where Maoist insurgency appears largely restrained,” said Brigadier (retired) B K Ponwar, director of the Kanker-based Counter Terrorism and Jungle Warfare College in Chhattisgarh.
Of late, the Red insurgents had changed their tactics to mainly target security personnel engaged in road opening party (ROP) operations and succeeded in stealing their modern sophisticated weapons after the assault.
“ROP personnel seem to have emerged as their soft target,” Bastar inspector general of police Vivekanand Sinha said.
Meanwhile, following the attack Chhattisgarh chief minister Raman Singh on Wednesday cancelled his ongoing month-long Lok Suraj Abhiyan scheduled visit to Maoist-affected Narayanpur and Kondagaon districts in Bastar.