Giridhar Manjhi,a resident of Manoharpur block in West Singhbhum district,was picked up and trained by the CRPF in jungle warfare and counter IED skills.

CRPF gets SSB to contain Naxalite violence in Jharkhand

Manjhi is not alone.Like him,there were 2000 personnel who were part of a force-Shashtra Seema Bal.They were deployed to counter left wing extremists in Jharkhand.

“Since they were locals,they new about the language,culture and topography of the area they were deployed.Since this distinguished them from other CRPF who hailed from other parts of the country,they were going to pose a tough challenge to the Maoists”,said a senior CRPF officer.

To begin with,these SSB personnel were meant to be deployed in Ranchi and Jamshedpur.”The aim was to supplement the efforts of the CRPF and the state police who were involved in the anti Maoist operations”,he said.

With 16 CRPF battalions,Jharkhand is carrying out anti Naxal operation.By adding the SSB,the Centre is keen to contain Maoist violence in Jharkhand.