By Our Correspondent
Bhubaneswar, January 12, 2015

Helicopter pilots engaged in reconnaissance operations in the Maoist-hit pockets of the country have been instructed to take adequate precautions against possible offensives by the rebels.

This was informed by Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) director general Prakash Mishra at Rayagada in Odisha on Monday.

Speaking to reporters in the afternoon after a two-hour long review meeting with senior officials of CRPF and state police, Mishra said he visited the state to assess the situation in the backdrop of intelligence inputs about ongoing Maoist camps on Odisha Chhattisgarh border.

Besides, the need to ensure ‘zero casualty’ on the CRPF side during anti Maoist operations was also discussed in the meeting.

“We have received definite intelligence inputs about the Maoist training camps where cadres are being trained on how to shoot down helicopters on reconnaissance and rescue operations and are taking steps to foil their designs and ensure ‘zero casualty’ on our side. Pilots have been asked to take adequate precautions while on such missions,” the CRPF DG said.

The CRPF DG claimed that Maoist activities had come down significantly in south Odisha, except for Koraput and Malkangiri districts.

Earlier in the morning, the CRPF DG visited some Left-Wing Extremism (LWE) affected pockets in southern parts of the state.

Accompanied by senior police officials of Odisha, Mishra first visited CRPF base camps at Gajalbadi in Ganjam district and interacted with the forces there for nearly half-an-hour.

From Gajalbadi, went to Chandrapur in Rayagada district where he reviewed the anti-Maoist operations with top CRPF and Odisha police officials at the premises of the CRPF 8th battalion.

Among those present at the review meeting were CRPF IG (operations) Pankaj Kumar, CRPF IG Zakir Hussain, Director of Intelligence Odisha police SK Ray, IG (Intelligence) Soumedra Priyadarshi and Rayagada SP Shiv Subramani, sources said.