New Delhi: The Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS), which met on Thursday evening to decide on the role of the Army in the battle against Maoists, ended in a stalemate.
The meeting, chaired by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, debated the issue of deployment of Army in Left-wing extremists-affected areas and use of more IAF helicopters for logistics support to the paramilitary engaged in the operations against Maoists.
Home Minister P Chidambaram is learnt to have placed his ministry's suggestions on widening the scope of anti-Naxal operations in the states affected by the menace, but no consensus was arrived at on the proposals, sources said.
The CCS is likely to meet again for shortly for another round of discussions on the matter, they said.
In the wake of the recent spurt in Naxal violence, especially targeting civilians, the Home Ministry is looking at taking help of the Army.
Several differences had cropped up between Defence Minister AK Antony and Home Minister P Chidambaram on the way the Army can be utilised. Sources say the Home Ministry, under considerable pressure after a series of lethal attacks by the Maoists this year, wants a Unified Area Command with a Major General as advisor reporting to the Chief Minister concerned.
The Army argues that a Major General is too senior an officer to report to the CM in a structure such as this, the sources say.
Then, the Home Ministry wants the deployment of Special Operation Commandoes. The Army, through the Defence Ministry, says Special Ops experts cannot be pushed in suddenly. Their deployment would require a larger, deeper plan.
Another issue of contention is the Home Ministry demand for Rashtriya Rifle units as have been deployed in Jammu and Kashmir. The Defence Ministry says it simply does not have enough men to transfer or to raise new battalions in Naxal-hit states.
Sources say the Home Ministry has also asked for the Army, with its huge experience, to be involved in demining. Maoists use mines routinely to blow up rail tracks and lately, vehicles carrying security personnel. The Defence Ministry has made clear that the Army would have to carry out area domination first.
There are also differences on the issue of aerial support, sources say. While the Defence Ministry has offered no comment on the demand for the use of Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAV), it has turned down the request for Air Force helicopters to ferry troops and other help. The Defence Ministry says this would amount to the Air Force getting directly involved. A key concern is what if the Maoists fired at the aircraft? The Air Force would be forced to fire back, which is not acceptable.
The one request that the Defence Ministry has no problems in meeting is that the Army train police organizations to tackle Naxalism.
Sources say the Army has offered to advice and train personnel of state and Central Police Organisations in larger numbers and has suggested that young Assistant Commandants of Central Police Organisations can be attached to counter-insurgency battalions for six-month stints to raise a Greyhound-type specialized force in each state. But the force has reservations and is wary of getting directly embroiled in Naxal areas.
(Read: Will the Cabinet send in the Army to tackle Naxals?) (With PTI inputs)