Will take strong action against Naxals

K Vijay Kumar took over the reins of the countrys largest paramilitary force CRPF on Wednesday.

The man who led the operations that eliminated forest brigand Veerappan in 2004 took over the reins of the countrys largest paramilitary force the Central Reserve Police Force CRPF on Wednesday.

The 1975-batch Tamil Nadu cadre IPS officer K Vijay Kumar,58,took the baton from outgoing chief Vikram Srivastava,who has been shunted out following a series of reverses suffered by the forces,which is in the thick of action against the Naxalites in various states.

The new chief asserted that he will not shy away from taking determined action,including structural changes in the force,to meet the challenge posed by the extremists. If vital structural changes are required,I will carry them out, he said.

He was,however,quick to make it clear that no comparisons could be made between the operations to nab Veerappan and the ongoing security operations against the Naxals. They are different turfs, he said,adding that the lessons learnt from one operation are always valuable for any other and would be taken into account while formulating new strategies.

Kumar,who was till now the Director of the Hyderabad-based Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel National Police Academy, said that one of his biggest challenges in his new role will be to see what kind of value addition he can bring to the CRPF.

When asked for his opinion on the Naxal menace,Kumar said that the issue is not related to any one particular place. It has urban connections8230;in terms of harbouring8230; in terms of giving logistics8230;financial support, Kumar said.

He also expressed hope that the force which appears to be demoralised at the moment would be able to tide over the challenge. I am here to lift the chin up, he said.

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Kumar added that a combination of both military and police training was required for CRPF personnel who are engaged in roles ranging from law and order duties to fighting the Left Wing Extremists LWE.

In the past,Kumar has served in a variety of roles and duties.

Having served in the Special Protection Group SPG during Rajiv Gandhis term as Prime Minister,Kumar also worked as Border Security Forces Inspector General in Jammu and Kashmir. As an IG in BSF,Kumar went to Tamil Nadu and gave 1,000 BSF men to the Special Task Force that was set up to nab Veerappan.