Jharkhand cops to learn climbing trees with weapons

RANCHI - Jharkhand is planning to train its police officers in climbing trees with weapons to counter Maoists in jungles, an official said Sunday.

“The cops can answer Maoist ambush if they are trained to climb trees with their weapons and retaliate,” a senior police official told IANS.

On Saturday, a crash course on firing AK-47 rifles and pistols was conducted for officers in-charge of 124 police stations situated in Maoist-infested areas.

“We were shocked to find a majority of them failed to shoot the target, said a police official.

We have issued directions to superintendents of police (SP) of all districts to arrange such firing courses,” Jharkhand Director General of Police Neyaz Ahmad told IANS.

Ahmad Friday called a meeting of officers in charge of Maoist-infested police stations and shared tips on how to tackle the rebels. The meeting was convened in the backdrop of the massacre of 76 security personnel in Dantewada district.