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DELHI SUSPECTS LINKS WITH N.E. REBELS
Maoists enforce strikes in four
Indian states
Shamsuddin Ahmed
Maoists in India have enforced strike in four states on March 13-14 when joint forces of police and paramilitary troopers encountered with the red rebels at different places. The strike was called in the states of Orissa, West Bengal, Jharkhand and Bihar to protest the killing in police custody of a Maoist commander in West Midnapore district of West Bengal on March 10.
However, denying the Maoist claim the government said Shashadhar Mahato was killed in an encounter with joint forces. Similar official version on the killing of Maoist central leader Azad in Jharkhand in June last year was proved wrong by media investigation triggering severe criticism and demand by human right bodies and intellectuals for a judicial inquiry. The government had rejected the demand.
Heavy fighting between the Maoists and the government forces was reported from the Maoist heartland Chhattisgarh. Some 150 police and paramilitary forces were ambushed by the rebels killing at least three and injuring nine others on March 14. The encounter took place in the same district where Maoists had massacred 75 paramilitary troops and one police officer in April last year.
In Bihar, government forces fought with the Maoists for long 12 hours in Motihari region on the previous night. Police claimed 6 rebels were killed. The rebels torched 10 vehicles, shot and wounded a driver for defying the strike. Two mobile phone towers were blown away in Gaya district. In Jharkhand, two policemen were killed and three others injured in gunfight with the Maoists. In West Bengal, TV channels showed heavy contingents of joint forces were patrolling the troubled areas where shops remained closed and transport vehicles were off the roads. Banners and posters were put up by the Maoists saying Mahato was killed in a false encounter and pledging to take revenge of the killing.
In Orissa, the government has issued an advisory to district authorities and police officials asking them not to visit Maoist-hit areas, especially at night. All officials and law enforcers were advised to avoid use of official vehicles and not to divulge tour plans in advance. Political leaders were asked to avoid public meetings in Maoist-dominated areas - about half of the state. This shows the government has least or no control over a vast area of the state.
The security guideline was issued over the weekend in an apparent unwillingness of the government to implement the agreement reached with the Maoists in securing the release of district collector RV Krishna and engineer Pabitra Majhi. Abducted by the Maoists they were set free unhurt after eight days on February 24 following the government's concurrence to meet all the 14 demands reached with the Maoist through three mediators.
The demands included immediate halt of anti-Maoist 'Operation Green Hunt', release of 600 Maoist leaders and activists languishing in Orissa jails, scrapping of accords giving lands belonging to tribal people to the multinational companies and compensation to families of Maoist sympathizers killed in police custody.
"We will implement all the 4 demands," home secretary of the state U.N. Behera had told newsmen after securing release of Krishna and Pabitra from the Maoist captivity. No doubt the government entered into the agreement accepting all the demands to meet the exigency of saving the lives of two bright young officers. The central government was annoyed and worried. Central Home Minister P Chidambaram said it would create precedence for all other Maoist-hit states in future.
A selected group of newsmen met Maoist regional leader Gazi alias Sannu at a place of Orissa-Andhra Pradesh border few days after the two officers were set free. The Maoist cadres guiding the journalists' team stopped halfway. For, they received a surprise alert of the presence of joint forces ahead of their way. They took a different route and reached the destination. Maoist leader told the journalists that the agreement is clear; it is now the government's obligation to implement it. He appealed to the intellectuals and people to make sure that the government abides by its commitment. Sannu did not miss signalling a dire consequence for non-implementation of the agreement by the government.
Maoists claim they are fighting for the downtrodden adhivasis, tribals and dalits and 70 percent landless people of India. The movement intensified since 2002 with the merger of three factions into Communist Party of India (Maoist) and is gaining ground. The movement now extends with the presence of Maoist fighters in 18 out of 28 states. Chhattisgarh in central India is the de facto capital of outlawed CPI (Maoist). Admittedly, the government has no control in 44,000 square kilometres comprising four districts of the state. Anti-Maoist Operation Green Hunt launched more than two years ago involving about 1,50,000 paramilitary forces in addition to state police has failed to make any headway. Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has repeatedly told the nation that the Maoists have posed the gravest threat to the internal security to India. He advocated holistic measures side by side combating the Maoists with arms.
CPI (Maoist) secretary nicknamed Ganopati explaining the party's immediate course of action few months ago has said they are going to create a liberated zone in the central India and upgrade its guerrilla force into Peoples Liberation Army (PLA). What unnerved New Delhi government is that the Maoists have adopted a policy of extending support to the secessionist movement in Kashmir, Gorkhaland, Assam, Nagaland, Manipur and Tripura. Recent security intelligence reports suggest that the Maoist leaders have established operational links with the secessionist leaders of these states.
A section of national security experts and intellectuals tend to believe that the Maoist movement in India has close connection with the Chinese far reaching policy of disintegrating India, dividing the country into 22 or more independent states based on language and culture.
Maoists enforce strikes in four
Indian states
Shamsuddin Ahmed
Maoists in India have enforced strike in four states on March 13-14 when joint forces of police and paramilitary troopers encountered with the red rebels at different places. The strike was called in the states of Orissa, West Bengal, Jharkhand and Bihar to protest the killing in police custody of a Maoist commander in West Midnapore district of West Bengal on March 10.
However, denying the Maoist claim the government said Shashadhar Mahato was killed in an encounter with joint forces. Similar official version on the killing of Maoist central leader Azad in Jharkhand in June last year was proved wrong by media investigation triggering severe criticism and demand by human right bodies and intellectuals for a judicial inquiry. The government had rejected the demand.
Heavy fighting between the Maoists and the government forces was reported from the Maoist heartland Chhattisgarh. Some 150 police and paramilitary forces were ambushed by the rebels killing at least three and injuring nine others on March 14. The encounter took place in the same district where Maoists had massacred 75 paramilitary troops and one police officer in April last year.
In Bihar, government forces fought with the Maoists for long 12 hours in Motihari region on the previous night. Police claimed 6 rebels were killed. The rebels torched 10 vehicles, shot and wounded a driver for defying the strike. Two mobile phone towers were blown away in Gaya district. In Jharkhand, two policemen were killed and three others injured in gunfight with the Maoists. In West Bengal, TV channels showed heavy contingents of joint forces were patrolling the troubled areas where shops remained closed and transport vehicles were off the roads. Banners and posters were put up by the Maoists saying Mahato was killed in a false encounter and pledging to take revenge of the killing.
In Orissa, the government has issued an advisory to district authorities and police officials asking them not to visit Maoist-hit areas, especially at night. All officials and law enforcers were advised to avoid use of official vehicles and not to divulge tour plans in advance. Political leaders were asked to avoid public meetings in Maoist-dominated areas - about half of the state. This shows the government has least or no control over a vast area of the state.
The security guideline was issued over the weekend in an apparent unwillingness of the government to implement the agreement reached with the Maoists in securing the release of district collector RV Krishna and engineer Pabitra Majhi. Abducted by the Maoists they were set free unhurt after eight days on February 24 following the government's concurrence to meet all the 14 demands reached with the Maoist through three mediators.
The demands included immediate halt of anti-Maoist 'Operation Green Hunt', release of 600 Maoist leaders and activists languishing in Orissa jails, scrapping of accords giving lands belonging to tribal people to the multinational companies and compensation to families of Maoist sympathizers killed in police custody.
"We will implement all the 4 demands," home secretary of the state U.N. Behera had told newsmen after securing release of Krishna and Pabitra from the Maoist captivity. No doubt the government entered into the agreement accepting all the demands to meet the exigency of saving the lives of two bright young officers. The central government was annoyed and worried. Central Home Minister P Chidambaram said it would create precedence for all other Maoist-hit states in future.
A selected group of newsmen met Maoist regional leader Gazi alias Sannu at a place of Orissa-Andhra Pradesh border few days after the two officers were set free. The Maoist cadres guiding the journalists' team stopped halfway. For, they received a surprise alert of the presence of joint forces ahead of their way. They took a different route and reached the destination. Maoist leader told the journalists that the agreement is clear; it is now the government's obligation to implement it. He appealed to the intellectuals and people to make sure that the government abides by its commitment. Sannu did not miss signalling a dire consequence for non-implementation of the agreement by the government.
Maoists claim they are fighting for the downtrodden adhivasis, tribals and dalits and 70 percent landless people of India. The movement intensified since 2002 with the merger of three factions into Communist Party of India (Maoist) and is gaining ground. The movement now extends with the presence of Maoist fighters in 18 out of 28 states. Chhattisgarh in central India is the de facto capital of outlawed CPI (Maoist). Admittedly, the government has no control in 44,000 square kilometres comprising four districts of the state. Anti-Maoist Operation Green Hunt launched more than two years ago involving about 1,50,000 paramilitary forces in addition to state police has failed to make any headway. Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has repeatedly told the nation that the Maoists have posed the gravest threat to the internal security to India. He advocated holistic measures side by side combating the Maoists with arms.
CPI (Maoist) secretary nicknamed Ganopati explaining the party's immediate course of action few months ago has said they are going to create a liberated zone in the central India and upgrade its guerrilla force into Peoples Liberation Army (PLA). What unnerved New Delhi government is that the Maoists have adopted a policy of extending support to the secessionist movement in Kashmir, Gorkhaland, Assam, Nagaland, Manipur and Tripura. Recent security intelligence reports suggest that the Maoist leaders have established operational links with the secessionist leaders of these states.
A section of national security experts and intellectuals tend to believe that the Maoist movement in India has close connection with the Chinese far reaching policy of disintegrating India, dividing the country into 22 or more independent states based on language and culture.
