BASTAR: This year, 21 May emerged as an epoch-making day marked by exceptional operational efficiency in the ongoing battle against India’s single biggest internal security challenge, the CPI (Maoist).
On that day, the valiant District Reserve Guard (DRG) in south Chhattisgarh’s Bastar eliminated the dreaded supreme commander of the Naxals, Nambala Keshava Rao alias Basavaraju, who was the general secretary of the banned outfit.
The DRGs are well-trained forces with combat capabilities raised in the strife-torn Bastar zone with a mission, to take on the Maoist challenge that has persisted as a virtual war against the state for over four decades.
The DRG, a special combat team of the Chhattisgarh police force, came into existence in 2012 in Narayanpur and Kanker.
Witnessing its effective and successful outcome, it was later established in the remaining five districts, Bijapur, Jagdalpur, Sukma, Kondagaon, and Dantewada, across the Bastar range. They operate under the command of the respective district police chiefs.
“DRG are young men and women recruited from remote tribal interiors of Bastar. They represent a unique, effective counter-insurgency model that blends local knowledge with rigorous training and operational excellence,” Sundarraj P, Inspector General of Police (Bastar), told this newspaper.
The personnel of the DRG are locally recruited, with relaxations given in educational and physical eligibility conditions, though candidates are preferably required to have passed Class 10 or 12.
Compared with other forces, the DRGs possess explicit and decisive advantages, as they are innately familiar with the local geography, forested and hilly terrain, regional dialects, and customs. They operate with unmatched stealth, speed, and strategic mobility in challenging situations.
The strength of such forces in Bastar is over 3,000 and also includes surrendered Maoists, who prove vital in any intelligence-based operation. Their remarkable physical endurance, tactical skills, and courage have earned them national recognition, the IG added.
They continue to actively engage in strategically planned battles against the banned outfit, beat the odds, and participate in anti-Maoist campaigns to blunt the ambitions of the Naxalites across the seven districts of Bastar, with a determined mission to wipe out Maoists by March 2026.
DRG personnel, in collaboration with other elite central paramilitary and state police forces, have led a series of successful joint operations aimed at eradicating the menace of left-wing extremism.
“DRGs and new battalions occupying the blank areas and establishing their network like a grid system, mutually supporting the security operation, have begun yielding outstanding results,” opined Brigadier (Retd) B K Ponwar, the guerrilla warfare expert.
DRG men have accessed guerrilla combat training in Kanker and other states, returning as warriors. They don soldier uniforms with modern weapons and are seen as battle-ready forces.
Their consistent efforts and accomplishments in deterring and neutralising Maoists have created a strong sense of fear among the leaders and cadres of the left-wing extremists.