Specialised in guerrilla warfare and roughly modelled on Greyhounds of Andhra, the 100-commando force is said to be better trained and well abreast with the jungle terrains to take on the Maoists.

Three companies of these forces were trained in Patiala for four months by Punjab commandos.

The other two companies will be sent to Bankura and Purulia.

After drawing flak from the Centre for its handling of anti-Naxalite operations in the jungle terrains, the state geared up to strengthen its Counter Insurgency Operation Capacity (CIOC), first initiated in June, 2006.

For the past three years, the CIOC was never given importance till the state faced the Naxalite threat, said a senior police officer. Sanctioning three companies of commandos dedicated for the Maoist-affected districts is the most important part of the CIOC, added the officer.

The most significant character of the force, according to the officer, is that most of these 300 commandos belong to the districts concerned — Purulia, Bankura and West Midnapore.

“Despite the fact that they were trained at the Commando Police Headquarters, Fort Bahadurgarh, in Patiala, these commandos are expected to succeed in their operation as they originally belong to the forest areas and know the terrain well,” said Vivek Sahai, IG, Armed Police.

The commandos were recruited in the state armed police in the first week of September and were sent to Patiala on September 15 for a 13-week-long training in anti-Naxalite operations.

“They are more advanced than the state armed police force. If officers of the state armed police fire 10 rounds a day, the new recruits were made to fire 250 rounds a day while at training,” the officer said.

They have also been imparted map-reading skills, which will help them carry out the flushing operations in the jungle terrains.

“Our existing forces do not have the map-reading capability because of which they have failed on several occasions,” said the officer.

Each company will operate under the supervision of the SP in the respective districts.

Shibprasad Patro, DSP and commandant-in-charge of the company deployed in West Midnapore, said: “Most of our boys belong to the Maoist-hit areas in the state.

They have grown up seeing insurgency in the area and

are well abreast with the jungle terrain.”

He, however, was quick to add: “Before succeeding in the operation, I will not make any comment. Let us see what happens there.”