This time, the units (the Central Reserve Police Force, the Railway Protection Force, Border Security Force, National Security Guard and the Indo-Tibetan Border Police, and Central Industrial Police Force) are buying, at the cost of about ~$70 million:
- 119 Tata light armored troop carriers
- 98 Mahindra Rakshak bullet-proof light vehicles
- night vision devices for rifles
- 146 automatic grenade launchers
- 47,000 grenades from Rosoboron Export of Russia
- laser range finders from Slovenian company Fotono
- 59,000 light-weight, bullet-proof jackets
- 1,000 pistols
- 800 Swiss-made SIG Sauer assault rifles
- 380 automatic grenade launchers and related ammunition
Maoists ‘killed’ in India operation
Maoist rebels in Chhattisgarh
The rebels say they are fighting for the rights of rural poor
Indian police in the north-eastern state of Jharkhand say they have killed 10 Maoist rebels in a major operation.
Eight rebel camps were destroyed during the ongoing offensive in the Borahat jungles of West Singbhum district, officials said.
Six policemen injured in the operation were airlifted to hospital, police said.
Authorities have been under pressure following a wave of Maoist-led violence in recent months.
Last month, more than 145 people were killed when a train crashed in neighbouring West Bengal state after Maoist rebels allegedly sabotaged the rail track.
Increasing attacks
India’s state-run broadcaster All India Radio reported that some 2,000 policemen participated against the rebels in the ongoing operation.
Reports say the police had found a number of mines in the rebel camps.
Thousands have died in the rebels’ decades-long fight against the state.
Maoist rebels have in recent months stepped up attacks in response to a government push to flush them out of their jungle bases.
Indian forces launched the offensive in what is known as the “red corridor” – a broad swathe of territory in rural eastern and central India where the Maoist rebellion has been gathering strength.
Nearly 50,000 federal paramilitary troops and tens of thousands of policemen are taking part in the operation in several states, including Jharkhand.
In April, 76 paramilitary troops were killed in an ambush – the single biggest attack on the Indian security forces by the rebels.
Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has described the Maoist insurgency as India’s biggest internal security challenge.