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C-60 Force: On Wednesday (17 July) in Gadchiroli district of Maharashtra, police and commandos together killed 12 Naxalites in the area bordering Chhattisgarh. Two security personnel were also injured in the clash. According to the police, an encounter between the C-60 Force commandos and Naxalites lasted for about six hours in Vandoli village. In which 12 Naxalites were killed. These commandos have become a threat to the Naxalites.
What is C-60 Force?
C-60 Force is a special anti-Naxal team of Maharashtra Police, which was formed on 1 December 1990. This special team initially consisted of 60 people, hence it was named C-60 Force. The purpose of C-60 Force is to eliminate Naxalites in the state, especially in Gadchiroli district and the surrounding areas of Chhattisgarh. This force was prepared on the basis of Greyhound Force in Telangana and SOG Special Unit in Andhra Pradesh.
The then SP of Gadchiroli K.P. Raghuvanshi took the initiative to form this team. Then the soldiers included in this team were trained in guerrilla warfare in training camps in Hyderabad, Bihar, Nagpur. KP Raghuvanshi was made the Maharashtra ATS chief after the death of Hemant Karkare during the 26/11 attack. Due to the increase in Maoist activities and attacks, another C-60 force was formed in South Gadchiroli in 1994.
What is the purpose of the C-60 force?
Over the past two-three decades, the C-60 force has been able to develop a network of informers, which has helped prevent attacks and reduce casualties and helped in the elimination of Naxalites. Talking about the purpose of the C-60 force, Raghuvanshi said, 'At that time people did not trust the police because they felt that they were not in a position to protect us. So we formed a special team, first the Naxalites were taught a lesson and later a large network of informers was created. Now Naxalite activities are decreasing. People's trust in the police has also increased.'
Initially, this force comprised only those soldiers who were familiar with the terrain and geography of Gadchiroli. The reason behind this was that due to their understanding of the local area, language, climate etc., they could bravely fight the Naxalites and foil their conspiracies. The police were also successful in carrying out the operation under this strategy.
When this C-60 force was formed, it comprised a total of 100 soldiers, but the maximum strength of the force for combat was kept at only 60, while 30 soldiers were kept for administrative work. Keeping in mind that at any given time at least 10 soldiers would be on leave, the same number of soldiers were kept in reserve. The slogan of this force is 'Veerbhogya Vasundhara' i.e. 'The brave conquers the earth'.
