NEW DELHI, Feb. 15 (UPI) -- India says it will establish a unified command of officials to tackle Maoist violence in Chhattisgarh state.
"A unified command comprising officials of the federal and the state governments would be formed to tackle the Naxalite menace in Chhattisgarh," Interior Minister Shivraj Patil said.
Naxalite is the term used in India to describe Maoists.
The federal Interior Ministry decided to place the command under the chief minister to avoid a situation of state forces working under central forces or vice versa, he said. During his visit to Raipur, Patil, who led a high-level delegation of the ministry, held marathon meetings with state police and security officials to evolve joint measures to tackle Maoist violence.
Chhattisgarh has been provided 13 battalions of central paramilitary forces deployed for anti-rebel operations with the operational command under the state police head.
