Bhopal (Madhya Pradesh): The police headquarters has sent a proposal to set up India Reserve Battalion (IRB) to combat Maoists in Balaghat, but it has got stuck in the files of the government of India, official sources said on Friday.
IRB is not police or para-military force. It is a special armed force of a particular state.
The Central government introduced the system in 1971. The purpose was to have an armed police force on the pattern of the Central Para Military Force of CMPF.
At present, battalion 35 and battalion 36 of IRB are present in Balaghat to protect the area from Maoists’ attack.
The officials hope the Centre may approve the proposal in the next financial year.
Former inspector general of police (anti-Naxal operations), Farid Shapoo, told Free Press that the IRB is a full-fledged battalion of around 1,000 security personnel.
The Centre provides funds to run the battalion and the state government has the right to recruit personnel for it, he said, adding that after the proposal is approved, a special recruitment drive will be launched.
Darrekasa Dalam of Communist Party of India (Maoist) and Malajkhand Dalam are operating in the Maoist-hit areas of the state.
According to sources, Vistar Platoon-2 and Vistar Platoon-3 of the CPI (Maoists) at Kavardha-Balaghat are working to set up a red corridor from Kavardha to Dindori via Balaghat and Mandla district.
To counter Maoists in these areas, the Madhya Pradesh police need more skilled force.
To stop Maoists’ activities in Kanha national park, two jungle camps have been set up. The men who are posted in these camps are capable to take on 500 Maoists at a time, and the MP police need such trained personnel.
