A 'Durga Fighter' force comprising of 32 female staff has been constituted to tackle Naxalism in Chhattisgarh's Sukma district.

Superintendent of Police of Sukma, Sunil Sharma said the new recruits will be trained for a month before being deployed.

"We are happy to inform that, on the occasion of Raksha Bandhan, Chhattisgarh women commandos met the officials to constitute a District Reserve Force (DRG) team for them. The proposal has been accepted and the team will be called 'Durga Fighters' which will have 32 female staff. They will be trained for commando duty for a month. They will perform all active duties," he told ANI.

Sharma said that the idea behind the formation of an all-women force is to promote gender equality.

"Women are equal to men," he added.

Meanwhile, Asha Sen, captain of 'Durga Fighters' said that the force has pledged to make Sukma a 'Naxal free region'.

"Today, we all have pledged to make Sukma a 'Naxal free region'. Just like brothers and sisters promise to protect each other on Raksha Bandhan, we all have pledged to protect the people of the Sukma region from Naxalites. We now feel equal to men as we have been given a place in District Reserve Guards (DRG) team," she said.