Govt to withdraw 7,000 CRPF troops from 4 states, redeploy in South Bastar

The central government has directed the withdrawal of over 7,000 CRPF personnel from their long drawn deployment in four states, the maximum being from West Bengal. These armed troops, part of seven battalions, will subsequently be re-deployed for conducting operations in Naxal-hit regions of south Bastar in Chhattisgarh, a recent government order has said. The force was deployed to carry out anti-Naxal operations in West Bengal, Bihar and Jharkhand whereas for internal security-related duty in Uttar Pradesh. As per the directive issued accessed by PTI, the Union Home Ministry early this week informed the respective states enumerating that the maximum of three battalions are to be withdrawn from West Bengal, two from Bihar and one each from Uttar Pradesh and Jharkhand. Official sources said the move to take out the Central Reserve Police Force battalions from these states has come after a long time and the Home Ministry ordered for their marching after the paramilitary made a demand to it that it requires more battalions in Chhattisgarh in order to open more bases in the Maoist hotbed in Chhattisgarh.