Rushing in isn't thebest tactics: Experts

NAGPUR: State home minister Jayant Patil on Friday admitted that policemen are often outnumbered by the Maoists in encounters because they rush to a spot on getting information about rebels' presence without verifying the numbers involved. Military experts call it a tactical blunder. Senior army officers say it is foolishness to rush at the enemy on getting the first input.If basic prudence is not being adhered to, it is not surprising they slaughtered like this, they said.
Former director general (infantry) Lt General Shanker Prasad said whenever a force responds to a situation, a tactical appreciation of enemy's strength has to be done first. The best timing to strike has to be chosen based on elaborate planning and a counter ambush drill. Normally the army adopts fire and move technique, under which one group fires at the enemy and the other closes in. There have to be various combinations of short and long range weapons planned to be used according to the situation. Unfortunately, while the army imparts such training even at the lowest level, the police lack proper training as well as leadership. Though the police forces are being imparted army-type training in some places, it does not appear to meet the requirements. "If any force simply rushes towards the enemy without even basic information, it is obvious it would fall into a trap and get slaughtered," he said.
According to Captain Bharat Verma of India Defence Review (IDR), in a guerrilla combat even a smaller force can win battle if it is smart enough. However, the police appear to be severely lacking in training. An adequate appraisal has to be made of the terrain, adversary's weapons and its communication system.
The police operating in these areas need a strong injection of military thinking. The state government can hire army officers and jawans who have recently left the services. They can also take the services of senior officers as strategic advisers. The army personnel are better trained to handle modern equipment.
"This also shows the lack of proper intelligence mechanism with the police. Human intelligence plays a great role in such operations. Probably this was the reason that 45 policemen got surrounded by 200 Maoists," said former commandant of the Army War College in Mhow Lt General Vijay Madan. Such killings have a demoralising impact on the troops and create a sense of insecurity. The policemen posted to such areas must be better equipped having rapid fire weapons like AK-47s and night vision devices, added Lt General Sher Amir Singh, also a former commandant of the college.