By IANS
Raipur : The state government has made a three-fold increase in the compensation given for the special police officers (SPOs) killed in the insurgency-hit regions of Chhattisgarh. The move is expected to attract more tribals to assist the police in anti-Maoist operations.
“With the central government raising the compensation from Rs.100,000 to Rs.300,000 for SPOs killed in Maoist violence, we believe local tribal youths will be motivated to join as SPOs and help the police force dismantle the rebels’ infrastructure at the grass-root level,” a source in the police department told IANS.
Chhattisgarh at present has about 4,500 SPOs in the southern Bastar region, including the worst-hit Dantewada and Bijapur districts. SPOs are youths recruited from the local tribal population to assist the main police force. As many as 62 SPOs have been killed in Maoist attacks this year alone.
With the rebels targeting the SPOs, tribal youths have in the recent past been hesitant to join the security force for a meagre monthly remuneration of Rs.1,500.
“In March, 39 SPOs were butchered in Bijapur district in an overnight attack on a police camp that killed a total of 55 cops. This caused panic among the tribal youths and since then they have been reluctant to join as SPOs,” the source said.
“SPOs hold the key to success against insurgents as they act as informers and assist the main police force by leading them to the guerrillas’ hideouts in interiors. Since the SPOs are locals, they know all the details and movements of the militants,” he said.
The source added that new recruits were being trained in handling weapons and self-defence. Hundreds of SPOs deployed in the interiors are armed only with traditional bows and arrows.
“The compensation hike will surely help the police force take their battle against Leftist radicals to their strongholds. Insurgents have a strong terror set-up in the thick forests, and with fresh recruitments of about 2,500-3,000 local youths as SPOs, we will flush out militants from Bastar,” he said.
Chhattisgarh is one of the 13 Indian states battling with Maoist insurgency. Terror attacks increased when the civil militia movement Salwa Judum was launched in June 2005. The government later supported the movement by providing arms and funds to those participating in it.
Since June 2005, over 50,000 tribals have left their villages in forested areas due to threats from the Maoists and have settled in state-run makeshift relief camps.
Human rights groups, however, have repeatedly accused the government of putting civilians in the line of fire by sponsoring the Salwa Judum movement and recruiting SPOs.