In hindsight, do you still believe the police should protect the Salwa Judum?
Obliviously, otherwise they will be killed. In the Jan Jagran of 1991 they were lured back and all of them went. And then they were killed. So as long as the Naxals kill those who go back, this problem will arise.
In Andhra Pradesh, they have the elite Greyhound force to fight the Naxals. What are the specific strategies applied in Chhattisgarh?
The Greyhound was successful because the Maoists were still in the early stages of warfare. In Bastar, Naxals are using military techniques; they move in large numbers; they have trained their people in commando and other operations. So we cannot apply the same techniques anymore.
We have trained our police in jungle warfare. The policeman should have the confidence to survive in the jungle. It includes guerilla warfare. But the Naxals have upgraded their skills, so we have to upgrade ourselves.
Chhattisgarh has come under the scanner and human rights groups are concerned and condemn the violence. Do you think your stance should change?
I do not know. These decisions are not decided at my level. They are political decisions. The diktat comes from the top. I can fight the battle on the ground. I cannot take political decisions. Like no general can decide whether to go to war or not. It is up to the political bosses of the country.
Human Rights Watch has clearly mentioned the atrocities committed by the Salwa Judam. The activist and protestors are appalled and want your resignation. Will you resign?
There is no reason for me to resign. Because what I have been trying to do after I went there is to contain the Salwa Judam. Take the example of the Salwa Judum processions. In the one year since I am there, they have taken out only one procession. That too under heavy protection and they were brought back.
There is a possibility -- I am not denying it -- that in the initial stages there might have been certain atrocities committed by the members of Salwa Judam but not now.
Image: Special police officers patrol the Dantewada district of Chhattisgarh.
Photograph: Manpreet Romana/AFP/Getty Images
Also read: Naxalites: India's ticking time bomb
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