Set up Bastar Special Force, C'garh CM tells police top brass

Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel on Monday directed the police department to raise a Bastar Special Force that will recruit youth from remote Naxal-affected areas and serve as a specialised unit. He gave the order while reviewing a meeting of the police department, said a state government public relations official.

"The CM has said that youth from village panchayats in sensitive areas of Bastar division should be recruited in the Bastar Special Force. It will ensure employment, while their presence will give an advantage to the police in terms of knowledge of dialects and terrain," the official said. Bastar division, comprising Bastar, Kanker, Kondagaon, Dantewada, Narayanpur, Bijapur and Sukma districts, has been struggling with a Maoist menace over the past three decades.

In the meeting, Baghel asked officials to expedite the process of release of tribals lodged in jails for petty offences as recommended by the Patnaik Committee, a state government release said. The ruling Congress last year constituted a seven- member committee headed by Justice (retired) AK Patnaik to review offences lodged against tribals in Naxal-hit areas.

In the meeting, officials informed that 625 cases were presented before the panel, which recommended withdrawal in 404 cases, while 206 cases were disposed of in court, it said. The CM praised the work of the police during the coronavirus outbreak.

State Home Minister Tamradhwaj Sahu, Chief Secretary RP Mandal, Additional Chief Secretary (Home) Subrat Sahoo, Director General of Police (DGP) DM Awasthi and other officials were present in the meeting..

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