The state has sought the Centre’s permission to raise a dedicated force on these lines and has sought funds for the same. “We have sent a proposal to the Centre seeking the sanctioning of a Greyhound-type unit for the state. Besides, we raised three companies of State Armed Forces (SAF) who have been specifically selected for the purpose. These three companies are being trained in Punjab and will join the joint forces in Lalgarh in 10 days,” said Director General of Police Bhupinder Singh.

For the last few months, the force has been engaged in specialised training by the Punjab and Andhra Pradesh commandoes of Greyhounds in Patiala. The pay scale for these commandos will be higher than the SAF and Specially Trained Armed Company (STRACO) commandos, said a senior police officer.

The idea of setting up a Greyhound-like unit for the anti-Maoist operations in West Midnapore came up after it was found that four companies of Commando Battalion for Resolute Action (CoBRA), a specialised unit of the CRPF to counter the Naxal menace, has seen little action in the absence of specific intelligence inputs for which it depends on the state CID and the state Intelligence Bureau. Unlike the CoBRA, the Greyhounds force has its own intelligence wing and the force does not need to depend on the state intelligence agencies, said the officer.