Indicia Knowledge Brief
A Daily Assessment on Indian Defence and Internal/Homeland Security
April 15, 2015.
Primary aims of Indicia Daily Brief are two-fold. First, it distills infinite information into a
capsule form, thus saving precious time of its clients. Second, it tries to link micro-events
to larger strategic canvas through its analyses, thus providing support knowledge for
better understanding and decision-making.
Indicia Analysis of the Day
The Centre has plans to encourage domestic companies to start
manufacturing of defence equipment and over a period of time
dependency on imports of such items will be over. The initiative will
likely give a fillip to the ‘Make in India’ campaign and eventually build a
robust defence industrial base.
The clarification by the Defence Minister that the 36 ready-to-fly Rafale
jets are not replacements for the ageing MiG-21 which will be phased out
in the next 6-10 years and that the indigenous Tejas could be, is again a
push for indigenisation.
The over USD 6 billion deal for 36 Rafale jets is likely to have a 30 per cent
offset clause valuing to nearly USD 2 billion that the Indian private
industry will be eyeing. The money will help in modernisation and
upgradation.
I. National Defence and Security:
Domestic firms to be encouraged into defence manufacturing:
The Centre has plans to encourage domestic companies to start manufacturing of
defence equipment and over a period of time dependency on imports of such
items will be over, Union Minister of State for Surface Transport, Highways and
Shipping Pon Radhakrishnan said. "When that happens, it is likely to open up
innumerable opportunities for entrepreneurs," he said at a function. He also
confirmed plans to widen the East Coast Road (ECR), an initiative that he said
was likely to give a fillip to the industry in Tamil Nadu. The current two-lane
road from Chennai to Kanyakumari along the ECR would be converted into a
four-lane road, he added. Radhakrishnan said there was a need to create
awareness in the rural areas of Tamil Nadu on the 'Make in India' initiative
launched by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Addressing a seminar last weekend,
he stressed the importance of involving rural people in this movement as it will
facilitate their joining the mainstream of development. He also said it was
important to leverage opportunities available in solid waste management and
was of the view that every waste should be made a raw material for another
product.
Source: http://www.moneycontrol.com/news/economy/domestic-firms-to-be-encouraged-into-defencemanufacturing_1356206.html
*
Siachen brigade of Indian Army celebrates 31st anniversary of
Operation 'Meghdoot'
The Siachen brigade of the Indian Army on April 13 celebrated the 31st
anniversary of success of Operation Meghdoot to recapture the Bilafond La Pass
from Pakistani forces in 1984 in Nubra valley. The celebrations began with the
wreath laying ceremony at the Siachen Base Camp War Memorial, where Lt Gen
Sanjay Kulkarni, the Director General of Infantry was the chief guest of the
ceremony. The Officer paid tribute to the gallant martyrs of the Siachen War and
later recalled vividly the operation on 13 April 1984. After the wreath laying,
veterans' rally was conducted where veterans, 'veer naris' and dependents of
late soldiers were felicitated, followed by cultural programme by local troupe
and youth of the area. Soldiers of Northern and Central Glacier battalions also
participated enthusiastically in the celebration.
Source: http://zeenews.india.com/news/jammu-and-kashmir/siachen-brigade-of-indian-army-celebrates31st-anniversary-of-operation-meghdoot_1578278.html
*
Rafale can't replace ageing MiG-21: Parrikar:
Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar said on April 13 that the Rafale fighter jets
cannot replace the ageing MiG-21 which will be phased out in the next 6-10
years. In an interview to TV news channel CNN IBN, Parrikar said the indigenous
Tejas aircraft can replace the MiG-21. "We have 42 squadrons, we need 36-38
active squadrons. We are phasing out MiG-21. Rafale is not a replacement for
MiG. It satisfies the upper end. IAF needs aircraft with capacity of 1,000 km
radius. It is a strategic purchase. The earlier government should have taken
decisions on government-to-government deals," Parrikar said. The comment
comes as India announced it will buy 36 Rafale fighter jets from France in flyaway condition. Parrikar said the Indian Air Force needs new fighters within a
short time frame and so this government to government deal was finalised. "We
have not purchased all 36 aircraft. When there is a PM or President level deal, it
is matter of principle clearance. We have promised to purchase 36 aircraft. The
major reason for the deal is to induct it in the minimum time frame. It is a good
deal," he said. "Rafale is a top end fighter and satisfies other criterion as well. The
aircraft is expensive and hence we have to take steps. Rafale cannot replace MiG21, Tejas can do that. We won't induct any low end aircraft. Tejas is a lighter
aircraft, it has its limitations. It cannot loiter for hours. Its carrying capacity is
only 10-12 tonnes whereas Rafale can carry 24 tonnes," he said. The minister
also said the IAF "desperately" needs fourth generation aircraft. "We have not
purchased any new aircraft of latest technology in the past 15 years. IAF
desperately needs fourth generation aircraft, the fifth generation that we are
working on will take 10-15 years," he said.
Source: https://in.news.yahoo.com/rafale-cant-replace-ageing-mig-21-parrikar-163613943.html
*
Fewer nuclear warheads? Why India shouldn’t worry:
Should India be worried that it has fewer nuclear warheads than neighbours
Pakistan and China, a subject of recent discussion? India has boosted its nuclear
triad – nuclear-armed strike aircraft, land-based inter-continental ballistic
missiles and sea-based submarine-launched ballistic missiles – and now has a
strong nuclear deterrence capability vis-a-vis its nuclear-armed neighbours.
“Such [a triad] essentially increases the deterrence potential of the state’s
nuclear forces,” write Group Captain Ajay Lele (retd.) and Parveen Bhardwaj of
the Institute of Defence Studies and Analysis, a New Delhi think-tank. Given that
a nuclear warhead with a yield of 1 megaton can destroy almost 210 sq km,
roughly three times the size of south Mumbai, it is largely inconsequential if
Pakistan has 10 more warheads than India or China has 140 more, as data
released by the Bulletin of Atomic Scientists, a US advocacy that tracks global
nuclear arsenals, reveals. Pakistan has also been recognised as having the
world’s fastest growing nuclear arsenal, which, according to this New York
Times editorial, is turning South Asia into a “troubled region with growing
nuclear risks”....
Source:
worry
http://scroll.in/article/719996/Fewer-nuclear-warheads?-Why-India-shouldn%E2%80%99t-
*
LCA Tejas Update:
The LCA Tejas has completed hot and high & winter trials, including cold soak
starting tests of its engine and ensuing flight performance. The success of the
January 2015 tests allows the flight team to heave a sigh of relief given that there
had been trepidation about full load trials at high altitude. According to ADA,
“With three consecutive start-ups of its engine after overnight soak in extreme
cold (around -15ºC) conditions of Ladakh, that too without any external
assistance, Tejas, the Indian Light Combat Aircraft has achieved yet another rare
distinction. Starting the fighter aircraft under such extreme condition without
any external assistance or heating is a technology breakthrough. The
requirements become further stringent when the starting is to be done three
times consecutively with a partially charged battery. Team LCA led by AERD&C
of HAL, and members from ADA, NFTC, IAF, CEMILAC and DGAQA have
succeeded in achieving this. The ADA is looking for a full solution to its SMFD
needs for the LCA Mk.2 programme. The capability exists in country, though a
competitive process will now ensue. The ADA is looking for active matrix TFT
color liquid crystal display SMFDs with separate LED backlight for day and night
modes with redundancy for backlighting in both the modes, touch screen
capability (will be the first Indian aircraft to sport touch screen panels), antireflection coating, full sun readability and night vision capability, compatibility
as per NVIS Class B MIL-STD-3009B, EMI protectio, the bezel shall have push
buttons, rocker switches and rotary knobs, auto brightness control (ABC) of the
display using illumination sensors placed on bezel, capability for windowed
image overlay driven by the display processors, dual channel video to support
redundant display processors, continuous health monitoring with periodic builtin-test reporting along with its normal operation, provision for operator Initiated
Built-In-Test, In-situ programming capability. Conduction Cooled with no
external cooling for the entire range of operating temperature.
Source: http://www.defencenews.in/defence-news-internal.aspx?id=FK26qmyr1y4=
*
Ajai Shukla: 'Make in India' on the guillotine:
Make in India" has a nice patriotic air to it, especially when Prime Minister
Narendra Modi tells an international audience at the Aero India 2015 show in
Bengaluru that "India will emerge as a major global centre for defence industry",
with aerospace the sun that lights this new dawn. Successive Congress-led and
Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-led governments have looked to $10 billion worth
of offsets arising from India's tender for 126 Rafale fighters to galvanise India's
aerospace ecosystem. Indian negotiators had made it clear to Dassault that it
must lower prices and increase indigenisation to win that tender. Yet it is now
clear this is not to be. With Dassault reeling on the ropes, Mr Modi last week
scuppered the negotiations by presenting France with an order for 36 Rafale
fighters. His apparent wish for a successful summit drove three weeks of frenetic
New Delhi-Paris talks that handed a delighted Dassault an unexpected knockout
victory. Essentially, Dassault has dragged out negotiations until New Delhi's need
increased, and the wish to seem strong on defence converged with the desire to
make a diplomatic splash in Paris. At that point the French were rewarded for
their obstinacy with exactly what they wanted - an order for fully built aircraft
without the need to transfer technology. Says a keen observer of Indian defence
procurement: "All vendors are now clear that ignoring India's demands long
enough ends in a reward that makes all Christmases come at once. This doesn't
bode well for New Delhi in that next negotiation on whatever." Effectively, New
Delhi, Paris and the Indian Air Force (IAF) agreed that a bird in the hand was
worth two in the bush. Inking a government-to-government agreement to bypass
the deadlocked negotiations for 126 Rafales, the IAF would get 36 fully built
Rafales and, inevitably, buy 18 more as "options", settling for three Rafale
squadrons instead of the six squadrons of medium multi-role combat aircraft
(MMRCA) earlier visualised. Done away with was the tiresome prospect of
building 108 of those 126 fighters in Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd (HAL). Instead,
New Delhi followed the Mirage 2000 model of the 1980s, when an initial
purchase of two squadrons in 1983 was followed up with a few more aircraft to
make up a third squadron. The Mirage 2000 was never built in India, just as the
Rafale will never be.....
Source: http://www.business-standard.com/article/opinion/ajai-shukla-make-in-india-on-the-guillotine115041301159_1.html
*
36 on the Fast Track, 126 Rafale Deal Shot Down:
The BJP-led NDA government has virtually terminated the 126 medium multirole combat aircraft (MMRCA) contract worth $20 billion initiated by the UPA
government. Though on April 11 Prime Minister Narendra Modi made an
announcement in Paris on buying 36 Rafale jets in ready-to-fly condition, on
April 13, Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar put to rest all speculation on the
fate of the 126 MMRCA contract. While interacting with select media
representatives in his office in South Block, Parrikar said, “A car cannot run on
two paths simultaneously.” “Scope was only possible in government-togovernment deal. Negotiations had ‘gone into a loop with no solution in sight’.
Instead of going through the RFP route, where there was lot of confusion and
chaos, we decided to go for the government-to-government process separately to
buy 36 Rafale under flyaway condition,” said Parrikar. “The Prime Minister has
taken a bold step considering the country’s strategic need,” he added. While the
order is meant to be delivered as soon as possible, terms and conditions of the
deal — estimated at about $4.25 billion (about `700 crore) — have yet to be
worked out. “The two sides have agreed in principal and representatives need to
sit together to discuss further course of action,” he said. Replying to a question
on whether future deals on Rafale would also be through the G2G route, Parrikar
said, “All deal(s) will be in G2G only. The 36 aircraft are in fly-away condition
which means they will be manufactured by the company in France and supplied
in fly-away condition,” adding that no decision has been made on the number of
aircraft under the MMRCA category. The defence minister went on to add that
the decision to buy 126 jets was a steep financial target. Ministry officials, privy
to the development, said the project cost escalated to over $20 billion from $12
billion, when the tender was floated in 2007. The hike in cost included the life
cycle spend, creating assembly lines and transfer of technology. Acknowledging
that Light Combat Aircraft Tejas will undergo final flight testing in May, Parrikar
said, ‘Make In India’ is a long-term solution for India’s Air Force strength.
Source:
http://www.newindianexpress.com/nation/36-on-the-Fast-Track-126-Rafale-Deal-ShotDown/2015/04/14/article2763109.ece
*
Rules changed? Rafael not the only choice:
Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar hinted that the 36 Rafale fighter jets to be
bought in a fly-away condition from Dassault aviation of France would be an
important step towards meeting the critical shortage of the Indian Air Force
fighter jets, but would not be the only choice. The purchase of the jets was
announced during PM Narendra Modi’s visit to Paris on April 10. Buying more of
the Rafale or ‘making in India’ will depend upon negotiations of the two
governments. New Delhi and Paris have announced a government-togovernment deal for the purchase of the twin-engined Rafale. Parrikar clarified
the way the deal will progress. The global tender to buy a medium multirole
combat aircraft (MMRCA) floated in 2007 to buy 126 planes had been shelved. “If
this route (government-to- government) is followed, then it’s obvious, a car
cannot be travelling on two different routes. In the tender, there were lot of
issues and troubles. The tender has gone into a vortex. The direct deal is working
out to be less costly,” he said. Rafale was selected as lowest bidder in the tender
but issues had cropped up as it did not want to stand guarantee for the 108
planes to be made by state-owned Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) and
HAL’s high production costs. On being asked if the government would be looking
to get the previous target of 126 planes, Parrikar said: “Not necessarily that will
depend on the government-to-government discussion. We may not go for full
126. We may decide a different number also.” This was the clear signal that India
would be hedging its bets rather than look at Rafale alone. “I will not speculate or
reveal any further,” Parrikar said when asked if New Delhi would be looking at
other planes of the same kind and capability. “Even the target of 126 was
financially a steep climb,” Parrikar said in note of realism. Each Rafale costs
about Rs 760-775 crore. On being asked if Rafale will be made in India, the
Defence Minister said: “I have not excluded the make in India, but that will
depend on how we negotiate.” Under the tender, 18 planes were to be in a flyaway condition, the next 18 were to be in the form of completely knocked down
kits.
The future plan
Parrikar was clear that future shortage of fighter jets that will occur due to
phasing out of the MiG 21 and MiG 27 will be met by a mix and match of the
Rafale, the Russian built Sukhoi-30 MKI and indigenous Light Combat Aircraft,
the Tejas and hinge upon life extension to the MiG-21. The IAF needs 42 combat
squadrons (18 planes in each) to tackle a simultaneous two-front war with
Pakistan and China. “The LCA will fill in the gaps in six months. Another 72
Sukhoi-30 MKI are on order (in addition to the existing fleet of 198)”, he said. In
two to three years, some eight new squadrons will join.
Source: http://www.tribuneindia.com/news/nation/rules-changed-rafael-not-the-only-choice/67071.html
*
Rafale deal an unmitigated disaster – Bharat Karnad of CPR:
India has ordered 36 “ready-to-fly” French-made Rafale fighter jets to modernise
the country’s ageing warplane fleet. But Bharat Karnad, a research professor at
the Centre for Policy Research (CPR) in New Delhi, said the deal with French
manufacturer Dassault Aviation is a disaster that will not meet the immediate
needs of India’s air force. On April 13, Karnad joined the Trading India Forum, a
live webchat hosted by Thomson Reuters where members from the financial
industry interact. He shared his views on the Rafale jet deal, its implications for
India and whether the Russian-made Su-30MKI would have been a better choice.
Here are edited excerpts from Karnad’s responses in the chatroom. Any opinions
expressed here are those of Karnad and not of Thomson Reuters.
Q: Your view on the Rafale deal
A: My view, encapsulated in my blog www.bharatkarnad.com on April 10, is that
it’s an unmitigated disaster at many levels.
Q: I remember reading somewhere that if the Indian order doesn’t materialize,
then the company will shut down.
A: Yes, because Dassault was down to producing 11 Rafales per year; now it can
carry on for another 10 years. It is actually oxygen for the French aerospace
industry.
Q: If not Rafale, what other option did the air force have?
A: If there was a critical requirement to make up fighter squadrons quickly, then
there is no better way than putting an indent with the Russians for more Su30MKIs. Parrikar actually favoured that as an alternative to Rafale.
Q: Is this because the aircraft are of very poor quality?
A: No, Rafale are not poor quality, but India will have to pay an arm and a leg for
it at over $200 million per unit cost. While the more advanced Su-30, as Parrikar
noted, with full ordnance load comes in at less than half the price.
Q: Why do you call the deal an “unmitigated disaster”?
A: Unmitigated disaster because
- it won’t solve IAF‘s immediate needs, which induction of more Su-30s can do.
The first Rafales will come in by 2017 at the earliest, more likely 2018
- it torpedoes the entire TOT (transfer of technology) and “Make In India” angle,
and
- while rescuing the French combat aircraft industry, deprives the Indian Tejas
Mk2 and the advanced medium combat aircraft projects of much needed funding
to get going.....
Source:
of-cpr/
http://blogs.reuters.com/india/2015/04/13/rafale-deal-an-unmitigated-disaster-bharat-karnad-
*
Saab mulls Indian production of IDAS:
Saab, which recently bagged a $78 million follow-on contract from Hindustan
Aeronautic Limited (HAL) for serial production of an integrated electronic
warfare self-protection system for installation on the Indian Army’s and Air
Force’s Advanced Light Helicopter Dhruv, has revealed it is considering local
production of the IDAS system in India, given the large potential demand for
such a capability. Saab’s IDAS is an EW system designed to provide “self-defence
in sophisticated, diverse and dense threat environments. IDAS can be configured
to become the high-end system with laser-warning, missile-approach-warning,
as well as full multi-spectral detection capability for radar. The system is fully
integrated with the BOP-L countermeasures dispenser.” Production of the IDAS
system for the Indian Dhruv will take place at Saab in Centurion, South Africa
(Saab Grintek Defence), with deliveries set to take place from this year till 2018.
The Saab leadership in India has however revealed that the company is actively
scouting an opportunity to build the IDAS system in India, to service Indian and
Asia-Pacific requirements. The IDAS has proven service on several platforms
including the Saab 2000, Agusta-Westland A109, Super Lynx 300, Boeing CH-47
Chinook, Denel Rooivalk and Oryx, Eurocopter Cougar, Puma & Super Puma, NH
Industries NH90, C-130 and L100 Hercules, Sukhoi Su-30MKM. The system could
be under consideration for future platforms being developed in country too.
Source: http://idrw.org/saab-mulls-indian-production-of-idas/
*
Rafale: India might add only one or two additional squadrons:
Defence minister Manohar Parrikar neither used word “Cancelled” or “Scrapped”
but he still left enough hints for media to know that long-delayed plans to
purchase 126 jets under MMRCA tender is dead and any future additional
purchase of Rafale jets will be under G2G (Govt to Govt) deal and not directly
with aircraft manufacture which, in this case, is Dassault aviation. Sources in IAF
speaking to idrw.org last night said that MOD is unlikely to go for bigger orders
of Rafale in near future after delivery of 36 jets ordered are complete. At best
two more Squadrons will be ordered according to him. In past Parrikar had
advocated the purchase of additional upgraded sukhoi-30MKI from Russia and
Sources also inform that IAF and MOD along with HAL are working on possible
additional orders for Tejas MK-1 jets but with some improvements. Clarity will
come in next few weeks.
Source: http://idrw.org/rafale-india-might-add-only-one-or-two-additional-squadrons/
*
Rafale deal likely to have a 30 pc offset clause:
The over USD 6 billion deal for 36 Rafale jets is likely to have a 30 per cent offset
clause valuing to nearly USD 2 billion that the Indian private industry will be
eyeing. Even though speculation had risen whether the clause would be included
in the government to government deal, Indian as well as French sources said that
there will at least 30 per cent offset clause. Offset policy was first introduced as
part of the Defence Procurement Procedure (DPP), 2005, under which a foreign
company has to invest back a portion of the deal into India. The DPP, 2013
indicates that the objective of the Defence Offset Policy is to leverage capital
acquisitions to develop Indian defence industry by fostering development of
internationally competitive enterprises. It also aims to do it by augmenting
capacity for research, design and development related to defence products and
services besides encouraging development of synergistic sectors like civil
aerospace and internal security. The offset clause will work out to be around
USD 2 billion. During the government to government talks, the offset obligation
will also be finalised, defence sources said. They pegged the deal at over USD 6
billion including the cost of the 36 aircraft, armament and spares. Sources
pointed out that previous government to government sale route also had offset
clauses. "The private sector will substantially gain from the offset part of the
Rafale deal," a senior executive of a leading corporate group said. The criticism
against the government to government deal between India and France for 36
Rafale jets was that it does not bring manufacturing and jobs to India. Sources
said the government is likely to insist Dassault Aviation, the manufacturers of
Rafale, to rope in the Indian private sector, a global chain supplier to Dassault
and its associates. Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar had insisted that the deal
for 36 Rafale jets does not mean that 'Make in Indian' programme has been set
aside. He said everything will depend on the quantum of the jets that India would
eventually be interested in, besides the 36 and the terms and conditions agreed
to once the negotiations start.
Source: http://www.deccanherald.com/content/471612/rafale-deal-likely-have-30.html
II
Homeland Security
*
Gen V K Singh opposes deployment of Army to tackle Maoists:
Union minister General V K Singh said he was not in favour of deploying Army in
any campaign to tackle the Maoists. "Army has to be deployed only when there is
a threat to national security, particularly from any other country," he said while
replying to questions during a discussion based on his autobiography "Courage
and Conviction". The event was organized as part of Chhattisgarh's first
international flim festival, which concluded. "If we deploy army in places where
problems have cropped up due to socio-political reasons, it could adversely
affect the image of the forces". Gen Singh said that as a chief of army, he had
made this stand clear to the then union home minister P Chidambaram.
Chhattisgarh Maoist ambush: 49 jawans vs 400 Maoists, and SOS that went in
vain. Replying to a question about deployment of Indian army for peace- keeping
operations in Sri Lanka, General V K Singh, a former chief of army staff, quipped "
The decision to deploy IPKF in island nation was a high-level policy failure".
Stating that decision to go to Srilanka was not taken at the level of army, the
former army chief said in fact the government of India and Srilanka had entered
into an agreement while the fight was between Liberation Tigers of Tamil Ealam
and Sri Lanka government. Without naming anyone, General Singh said " At
times, the situation was awkward. We had to fight the very people trained by us".
Source: http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/Gen-V-K-Singh-opposes-deployment-of-army-to-tackleMaoists/articleshow/46921289.cms
*
Decade-long cyberspying likely tied to China-targeted Indian
defence:
For over a decade, a cyber operation with likely ties to China spied on Indian
defence, business and media operations, using malware hidden in emails or
documents on topics of interest to the targets, according to a Silicon Valleyheadquartered cyber-security company. "A decade-long operation focused on
targets -- government and commercial -- who hold key political, economic, and
military information about the region," FireEye said on April 12 in a report on
cyber espionage that covered India and South-East Asia. The spying "centred on
Indian defence and military materiel topics", the report said. "In particular, a
number of spear phishing subjects have related to Indian aircraft carrier and
oceanographic monitoring processes." Tracking the cyberspying that started in
2005, FireEye said: "Such a sustained, planned development effort, coupled with
the group's regional targets and mission, lead us to believe that this activity is
state-sponsored -- most likely by the Chinese government." However, the
Chinese government has denied it was involved in the cyberspying operation.
"The Chinese government resolutely forbids and cracks down on all forms of
hacker attacks. This position is consistent and clear," foreign ministry
spokesperson Hong Lei said in Beijing on April 13. "Hacker attack is a global
issue which requires cooperative response from the international community
rather than groundless finger-pointing and suspicion," Hong said. Contending
that the cybersnoops were an advanced persistent threat (APT), FireEye dubbed
them APT30. FireEye is a key player in international initiatives against
cyberthreats. It announced the launch of the Global Threat Intelligence Sharing
initiative at the White House Cybersecurity and Consumer Protection Summit in
February. The programme aims at helping businesses and organisations share
information about cyberthreats....
Source:
http://www.business-standard.com/article/news-ians/decade-long-cyberspying-likely-tied-tochina-targeted-indian-defence-115041400358_1.html
*
High Alert in Maoist-hit Districts Post-Chhatisgarh Attack:
In the wake of a series of Naxal attacks on securitymen in neighbouring
Chhattisgarh, a high alert was sounded in Maoist-hit districts of Odisha,
particularly in the southern region. Police personnel have been put on alert in
Maoist-affected districts, particularly in areas bordering Chhattisgarh, Director
General of Police (DGP), Sanjeev Marik said. While security forces have been
alerted after the Chhattisgarh incidents, Superintendents of Police in Maoist-hit
districts have been asked to keep a close watch on movements of suspicious
persons, he said. Police apprehend that the left-wing ultras might cross over to
Odisha's Maoist-hit areas following intensified search operation in the
neighboring state after violence in last three days in Sukma, Dantewada and
Kanker districts. The SPs of all Naxal-hit districts are in a state of high alert in
view of possibility of cross-border movement of Maoists from Chhattisgarh,
Inspector General of Police (South West), Y K Jethwa said. While the emphasis is
on strict adherence to standard operating procedure (SOP), intelligence network
has also been strengthened, he said CPI (Maoist) cadre from Chhattisgarh were
trying their best to strengthen the organisation in border areas of Ganjam,
Gajapati, Kandhamal, Boudh and Rayagada after the arrest of Sabyasachi Panda,
founder leader of Odisha Maobadi Party (OMP) on July 17, last year, police
suspected. "Combing operation has been intensified in Kandhamal district
following the incidents in Chhattisgarh. We have also asked our personnel to
maintain strict vigil on the movement of suspicious people in vulnerable areas,"
said SP (Kandhamal) KV Singh...
Source: http://www.newindianexpress.com/nation/High-Alert-in-Maoist-hit-Districts-Post-ChhatisgarhAttack/2015/04/14/article2764067.ece
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