Maoists adding ammo worries security bosses about anti landmine vehicle

VIJAY DEO JHA / Mukesh Ranjan

Ranchi

The way (CPI Maoist) rebels have been tossing and mangling powerful steel boded anti-landmine vehicles by adding ammo and quantity in triggering powerful landmine blasts have shocked bosses of Jharkhand police. Former chief of Jharkhand police BD Ram too raised similar doubt over the efficiency of these vehicles.

Worried over the media report questioning utility of these vehicles in the wake of Saturday blast in Garhwa killing 13 policemen by blowing landmine vehicle top police source admitted a time has indeed some to find dome way. “It is bogus to say that these vehicles are not able to withstand the pressure of landmine explosion and becoming death chamber for the security forces. But after Maoists have changed strategy and now planting landmine of 30 to 40 kg of weight these vehicles have indeed become vulnerable if not outdated,” a top police official said.

The state police have around 80 such vehicles pressed in anti-naxal operation across Jharkhand that on average can withstand landmine blast capacity of 10-15 kg. In the past one decade around five such have been destroyed in the landmine blast.

Explaining the pattern and the way Maoists have gone beyond planting landmines of around 10 to 15 kg a serious review over getting a new fleet of vehicles and replacing old fleet is indeed required. But the Police and the Home Department find it a tough poser.

“We have recently ordered four vehicles that can withstand blasts of 30-35 kg. But what if the Maoists start planting 40 and 50 kg of landmine? We can get vehicles of enhanced capacity that naturally will be of jumbo size. But can we move with these jumbo size vehicles in interior during operation” official said while reeking concern.

The question does not worry Jharkhand alone. Neighboring state Chhattisgarh is too worried over rising number of such vehicles failing to withstand landmine blast. Like Jharkhand, the pockets of Chhattisgarh are too littered with landmines. While the Chhattisgarh government recently took help of military and international experts in removing these landmines the move offers few clues to Jharkhand police the way to tackle it.

“We regularly hold detection and sanitation drive to remove landmines from the roads falling in the areas where Maoists are operating. This is a war like situation and such incidents are built in the framework of such operations. But then we need to be cautious must and work on some intuitional memory and take extra precautions while moving in a naxal- prone area,” IG and Jharkhand Police spokesperson RK Mallick said.

What worries top cops the most is that while moving in anti landmine vehicles police forces often ignore security warning and feeling safe while Maoists lurk to trap them.