Sacrifices of our jawans will not go in vain: Rajnath tells LS

Expressing his heartfelt condolence to the families of the 12 CRPF personnel killed by the Maoists in Chhattisgarh, Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh today said the security forces' unprecedented success has led to evident uneasiness among the Left Wing Extremist Groups and, therefore, they will continue to attempt such incidents to restore the flagging morale of their cadres.

Addressing the Lok Sabha regarding the recent attack on the security forces in Chhattisgarh's Sukma on March 11, Singh assured the House that their sacrifices will not go in vain.

"I express my heartfelt condolences to the bereaved families of the personnel, who have lost their lives and I would like to say firmly that the entire nation is with them in their hour of grief. The nation will always remember their sacrifices. The injured personnel will be provided with the best possible treatment available. On behalf of the entire house, I pray for their health and well-being," he added.

Singh said the security forces have achieved tremendous success during 2016 in all the LWE-affected states and particularly in Chhattisgarh where 135 LWE cadres were eliminated, 779 arrested and 1,198 surrendered.

"The number of violent incidents in Chhattisgarh also dropped by 15 percent from 466 in 2015 to 395 in 2016," he added.

Singh further said the Left Wing Extremists have suffered unprecedented losses in 2016 and have admitted openly in their documents and statements.

"They will continue to attempt such incidents to restore the flagging morale of their cadres. I believe that our brave soldiers and officers will continue to respond with a firm resolve and contribute whole heartedly towards elimination of Left Wing Extremism," he added.

Directing the DG, CRPF, to conduct a detailed enquiry into the incident, Singh said there is a need for introspection so that the lapses which led to the incident can be identified and which will reduce the possibility of repetition of such incidents in the future.

"I visited Chhattisgarh to pay my homage to the martyrs and met the two injured personnel on the day of the incident itself. Arrangements were made to ensure that mortal remains reach their respective families. Loss of life can in no way be compensated by money," said Singh.

"However, the next of kin of the martyred CRPF personnel will be provided Rs. 35 lakhs as ex-gratia from the Central Government, Rs. 20 lakhs from the Risk Fund of CRPF and Rs. one lakh from the CRPF Welfare Fund. They will also get Rs. 25 lakhs as insurance benefits and Rs. three lakh as ex-gratia from the Chhattisgarh Government. The next of kin will also be provided full salary till the age of superannuation of the personnel martyred under the Liberalized Pensionary Award (LPA)," he said.

Assuring the Parliament that the government is committed to provide all support to the CRPF in order to prepare them for their tasks, the Home Minister said the government is also committed to supporting the states for training, capacity building, provision of CRPF battalions as required and intelligence sharing.

"I would like to assure the nation through this house that we will not let Left Wing Extremists succeed in misleading the people and depriving parts of the country from the benefits of development. I once again pay my homage to the martyred personnel and express heartfelt condolences to the bereaved families. I assure the house that their sacrifices will not go in vain," he added.

Twelve CRPF personnel belonging to 219th battalion were killed and three others injured when the Maoists ambushed a patrol party in Bhejji Police Station area of Chhattisgarh's insurgency-hit Sukma district on March. 11.

-ANI