New Delhi:
In an exclusive interview to NDTV's Nitin Gokhale, the Air Force Chief has said "the Maoist situation has not reached a stage where armed forces have to be deployed."
Air Chief Marshal PV Naik added "one has to be careful in using offensive airpower against your own people in our own territory."
Since 76 jawans were massacred in Chhattisgarh on Monday in India's worst-ever Naxal attack, Home Minister, P Chidambaram has suggested that it could be time to reconsider using the air force in the government's fight against Naxals. The Prime Minister had said it is too early to think about revising government policy on this issue.
Many argue that using air power will see tribals in Naxal-controlled areas caught in the crossfire between the insurgents and security forces.
Naik also denied reports that the government is considering the use of Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) in Naxal-dominated areas because in the past, they have not delivered "the desired result." Some experts believe that UAVs can help in reconnaissance and would have been of critical help in avoiding an attack like Monday's. Seventy six jawans were ambushed by Naxals as they were returning from patrol duty through the thick forests of Dantewada. The jawans, 75 of whom were from the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF), found themselves outnumbered and outmaneuvered. The Naxals opened fire from hilltops in the area, the forests were riddled with land mines.
Agreeing with the government's current stand that the armed forces should not be used in operations against Naxals, Naik said, "With the right training, paramilitary forces are the right people to control the Maoist movement."