THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Heeding to the request from the police, government has accorded sanction for purchasing 250 Trichy Assault Rifles (TARs) from Ordnance Factory, Tiruchy. The sanction was accorded for an amount of Rs 1.93 crore towards purchasing 7.62 x 39mm caliber rifle that is most suited for anti-insurgency operations.
The state police chief had earlier this month requested the government’s permission to purchase the weapon that has been proven effective against the red ultras in the Naxal-infested states such as Chhattisgarh and Jharkhand. The paramilitary forces have also been using the weapon in insurgency-affected areas. TARs are considered an economically feasible alternative to AK-47 and are effective in combat in close quarters.
Touted as the indigenous version of AK-47, the guns can be fired in single shot, automatic and burst fire mode and has a range of up to 500m. It’s also compatible with GP-25, 30 and UBGL M-6 grenade launchers and the states falling in the red corridor have been making good use of the rifle to quell Maoist insurgency. There were reports that several state police units were replacing AK-47 and self-loading rifles with TARs while mounting anti-insurgency operations due to operational convenience.
Kerala has been beefing up its armoury for some time and in 2019 it had procured 42 AK 103 rifles and 100 TARs. Sources said the decision to purchase TARs in large numbers came after the Ministry of Home Affairs directed the Left Wing Extremism-affected states to switch to indigenous assault rifles for operational convenience. Kerala is counted among eight LWE-affected states and the state of late has enhanced its offensive against the red ultras. Ever since the LDF came to power in 2016, eight suspected Maoists have been gunned down in Kerala forests.
INDIGENOUS RIFLES FOR OPERATIONAL CONVENIENCE
Sources said the decision to purchase TARs in large numbers came after the Ministry of Home Affairs directed the Left Wing extremism-affected states to switch to indigenous assault rifles for operational convenience. Kerala is counted among eight LWE-affected states and the state of late has enhanced its offensive against the red ultras.