Click to play videoThe Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS) on Thursday approved the offensive against Naxals. With Naxals striking at will, the CCS presided by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh gave clearance to a Naxal Action Plan that will see paramilitary forces joining hands with local police in the states affected by Naxalism.
However, the Indian Air Force helicopters used during the anti-Naxal operations have not been given the authorisation to fire back at the ultras.
With the Centre and the states planning to launch a major military and political offensive against the Naxals, CNN-IBN’s India@9 spoke to Union Home Secretary GK Pillai about the action plan.
CNN-IBN: What's really the different this time as far as the Naxal action plan is concerned? Even in the past we have seen the government has employed several strategies when it comes to tackling Red terror whether it is talks, whether it is looking at every state - Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh - state by state. What really is the key difference as far as this offensive is concerned, as far as this Naxal action plan is concerned?
GK Pillai: I think what the real key difference in the current strategy is that you are having a reasonably heavy concentration of security forces which to ensure that you can dominate an area and not allow the Naxals to have their writ and then simultaneously bring in the development package. We are not waiting for one or two years for the development package. The development package has already been worked out in consultation with the states. And we hope that literally within 30 days of security forces moving in and dominating the area, we should be able to bring in the civil administration and restore civil administration there.
CNN-IBN: Mr Pillai there has been much controversy over the question of the Air Force getting clearance to fire back at Naxals if they are attacked in self defence. On one hand there is fear of collateral damage, one the other it is the fear of Air Force planes being continuously being targeted as they have been in the past. Can you shed some light on juts how the government is going ahead on that?
GK Pillai: I think that our strategy of using Air Force helicopters is primarily for three purposes: one for casualty evacuation, two for surveillance, and three for mobility. So we are not contemplating the use of Air Force helicopters for any offensive purposes even in self defence, because we will be able to. We have worked out strategies that will ensure that, we would ensure that the Naxalites are not able to fire at the helicopters as they come in for landing.
CNN-IBN: You have laid out very clearly that there is going to be no use of air power as far as the offensive is concerned and you are going to try and avoid Air Force helicopters being attacked. A quick world about the paramilitary forces and Rashtriya Rifles. Are you hoping to get the Army's assistance into this Naxal action plan and there are some reports that if you pull out some of these units from border the fences there are going to weaken?
GK Pillai: I don't think so. I think in one sense we have currently enough paramilitary forces to be able to carry out the operations in the areas that we want to do the operations. We would love to have more paramilitary forces to restore civil administration in larger areas. But we would for the time being manage with what we have and we are not really calling upon either the Army or the Air Force or the Navy to help us.
CNN-IBN: At Francis Induwar's funeral on Wednesday met many angry police officers. They say they feel unprotected. They are not given enough equipment. How will you counter the dipping morale amongst your forces while fighting the Naxals?
GK Pillai: I think the morale is in one sense quite high. The recent past we have had a number of successes. We have managed to nab a couple of their Politburo members, we have managed to capture some of their zonal commanders, and we believe that the morale is high. And the state administration as well as the state police forces are quite looking forward to the additional support that the Central Government will give them which will help them which will help them to restore civil administration in areas where they have not been able to go.
CNN-IBN: But that is not the case on the ground despite the successes that you have mentioned against some of the Naxal groups. Even the Inspector General of Police, Jharkhand, admitted morale is an issue. The key issue is are there are there packages in this new Naxal Action Plan for those forces and the welfare of their families?
GK Pillai: In fact for those who are injured or those who suffer casualties in the operation we have a very handsome package for them. Even apart from giving jobs to the members of the family and so on. But more than that we are ensuring that the operations are being carried out in a much more professional and trained manner, so that the casualties are minimised. We hope that as the civil administration is restored, you will find that in many areas we would get popular support also back
CNN-IBN: On the face of it, it does look an ambitious plan, perhaps something that would work on the ground. But the realty that one is sensing from the ground is that the policemen are being overpowered. Their ratio is low, the equipment that they are outdated. In that sense does this Naxal Action Plan really contain something to reach its conclusive stage?
GK Pillai: Yes I think one of the biggest reasons has been that the strength in each of the police stations in the Left Wing extremists areas has been extremely low. We have only had police stations with only 6-7 people and therefore that has not been an effective police station. We are looking at police stations with a strength of at least one plus 40 or one plus 80, and that would be able to dominate the area of the police station. As far as I see something around 60-70,000 new police recruits against the sanctioned vacancies are being undertaken by the state governments.
CNN-IBN: So you are going to do everything to fill these vacancies re concerned. Many people believe that it indeed is a political solution to this crisis that will work and not just a military or a strategic one, or perhaps the one in which all three are combined will work in tandem?
GK Pillai: Well basically you see that if you don't have any governance or civil administration here there is not scope for political activity. In absence of political activity the gun culture rules and that is what in one sense the Maoists armed struggle is all about. We believe that as a parliamentary democracy matters are to be decided through discussions and debate. There are a number of issues, tribal rights, land rights, forest rights which are issues before us and before the tribals also. These have to be settled through discussions. They can't be settled on the point of a gun.
CNN-IBN: You are saying no progress is possible now until the guns are silenced? Is that a change in the government policy? The government has so far been talking about political solution but now it seems that you have been pushed to the wall. Is there a change now?
GK Pillai: If the guns are silenced it's very good, but at least if the guns are not fired, in one sense it then allows political space as we have seen what happened in Lalgarh. So long as it's a gun culture, there can be no debate or discussion. You kill who ever you want to who is not to your liking. But the moment you have civil administration back then it is possible for you to come and say that ok these are your grievances, these can be discussed and resolved.
CNN-IBN: So long as guns aren't put down there can be no headway as far as talks are concerned?
GK Pillai: The Home Minister (P Chidambaram) has made it absolutely clear that we are prepared for discussions if they are ready to give up the cult of violence. So if they are willing to give up violence as a means of getting what they want then we are open for discussions and that is the norm in any parliamentary democracy.
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