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Raipur: Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh today said Chhattisgarh would get a specialised anti-Naxal combat force called the "Black Panther", on the lines of the Greyhounds unit.
Singh was speaking to reporters after chairing a meeting on Left-Wing Extremism (LWE). Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Raman Singh was present during the meeting at the Mantralaya in Naya Raipur.
"Chhattisgarh will have a new force on the lines of the Greyhounds. It will be called the Black Panther. Training (for the personnel who will be part of it) is being imparted and it will be launched soon," Singh said.
The Greyhounds is a special force in Telangana and Andhra Pradesh that specialises in anti-insurgency operations against Naxals and Maoists.
The Union minister said the government was keeping an eye on the money stashed by the Maoists.
"We have information that they have made assets to the tune of crores. It also cannot be ruled out that their money is stashed abroad," he said.
Singh claimed that the children of the Maoist leaders were studying in "big schools and universities" and that the government was keeping a tab on this too.
He said the government would make all efforts to choke the resource flow to the Maoists, including seizure of illegally amassed properties.
On yesterday's Maoist attack in Dantewada, in which seven police personnel were killed, Singh said the ultras were on the back-foot and since they could not face the security forces in a straight fight, they were using improvised explosive devices (IEDs) to target them.
The Chhattisgarh government as well as the governments of other states were carrying out development works in the Naxal-affected districts, the home minister said.
"Security forces are setting up camps in areas where they were not present earlier. Central forces and the Chhattisgarh police have set up 16 such camps in seven months in areas considered inaccessible. The coordination among the Intelligence Bureau (IB), the Chhattisgarh police and the central forces has also been good," he added.
Referring to media reports that Pakistan wanted to talk with the Director General of Military Operations (DGMO) and BSF officials against the backdrop of ceasefire violations by that country, Singh said this showed the force with which the Indian soldiers were retaliating against such violations.
Stating that four IR (Indian Reserve) battalions were formed in Chhattisgarh, Chief Minister Raman Singh said, "All these battalions are from Bastar and their training has also been completed."
He added that the road construction works in the Naxal-affected areas were being expedited.
