If There Isn't Any Intel Failure, Then.. On the Maoist Attack, Rahul Gandhi said...

"If There Isn't Any Intel Failure, Then..." On the Maoist Attack, Rahul Gandhi said...

The CRPF's DG Kuldeep Singh stated no intelligence or operational failure in the Bijapur Naxal attack.

A day after a senior official denied "intelligence failure" after 22 security personnel were killed in an ambush in the state's Bastar area, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi said the anti-Maoist operation. Chhattisgarh was "poorly planned and incompetently conducted."

"A 1:1 death ratio means it was a badly planned and incompetently conducted operation," the Congressman tweeted, tagging a news clipping of CRPF DG Kuldeep Singh's "no tactical and intelligence loss" remark.

He went on to say, "Our Jawans are not cannon fodder to be martyred at will."

Mr. Singh, who was in Chhattisgarh to assess the situation following the Maoist attack, stated that the operation had no intelligence or operational flaws.

"It's pointless to say that there was some kind of intelligence or organizational blunder. Forces would not have gone for the mission if there had been an intelligence failure. And if there had been some kind of operational blunder, so many Naxals would not have been killed, "Mr. Singh told ANI news agency.

He had previously admitted, however, that his staff had been "surprised and ambushed."

After security forces received intelligence about two top Maoist leaders' involvement in the Jagargunda-Jonaguda-Tarrem belt — Madvi Hidma, the People's Liberation Guerrilla Army's (PLGA) battalion number one chief, and Sujatha, an associate — up to 2,000 personnel from six camps were mobilized. The CRPF's specialized jungle warfare unit, CoBRA, a unit of its Bastariya Battalion, and the District Reserve Guard were among those involved.

When one of the teams arrived at the intel's position said the Left-wing terrorist commanders were hiding, 400 Maoists surrounded the security forces on three sides. Officials said that while the powers fought back with all their strength in the jungle, they suffered major losses due to the ultras' tactical advantage.

According to officials, up to 22 staff were killed in the line of duty, and more than 30 were wounded. The Maoists have deprived the forces of around two dozen assault weapons. Officials said the security forces took cover behind large trees and fired before they ran out of ammunition.

The shootout began about 11.30 a.m. and lasted about four hours, according to Ashok Juneja, the anti-Naxal operations leader. He said, "We have to know that the Maoists used rocket launchers, hand grenades, and other sophisticated weapons."

Following the attack, Home Minister Amit Shah canceled his election campaign in Assam and arrived in Chhattisgarh this morning to lead a high-level meeting with state leaders and officials. He will also pay a visit to the wounded in Raipur, the state capital.