The attacks by the Communist Party of India-Maoist, whether opportunistic or pre-planned, are part of their strategy of an 'armed liberation struggle' and in furtherance of their goal of 'seizure of political power through a protracted people's war', says Home Minister P Chidambaram.
In another sign of a rift between the Central Reserve Police Force and the Chhattisgarh police over the handling of Naxal problem, the central force's Special Director General Vijay Raman has slammed the state police chief Vishwaranjan for not "listening".
Differences between the Home and Defence ministries on the use of special forces of the Army and setting up of a unified command centre for anti-Naxal operations today came to the fore at the Cabinet Committee on Security meet on Thursday, which ended without any decision being taken.
'The government needs to take a leaf from the manual of the Maoists, to be slow and calculated in the way it builds up its response. It is clear that in the hurry to mitigate the menace, some serious compromises have been made.'
To carry on their violent activities across 223 districts in India, Maoists need a massive annual budget of Rs 200 crore to procure latest arms, perpetuate jungle warfare, continue propaganda and recruit new cadres. Ajit Kumar Singh and Sachin Bansidhar Diwan reveal how the Left-wing extremists gather their 'revenues' via a complicated network of extortion, threats and narcotic cultivation.
The government has alerted Naxal-affected states against possible Maoist attacks on railway networks, in the wake of Left-wing extremists targeting a Rajdhani Express train in Bihar, by blasting the rail tracks. The home ministry has issued the alert to West Bengal, Bihar, Jharkhand, Orissa and Chhattisgarh, apprehending attacks by Naxals on trains and railway infrastructure, as any sabotage on the network can result in large-scale damages, official sources said.
A day after Home Minister P Chidamabaram termed Maoist leader Kishenji's truce offer as 'bizarre', the government extended an olive branch to the Left Wing extremists on Wednesday, asking them to ensure ceasefire for 72 hours to facilitate talks.Top government officials have said Kishenji's offer for talks may be considered if he could ensure complete ceasefire for 72 hours.Chidamabaram had termed the truce offer by the Maoist leader as 'bizarre'.
Taking advantage of the prevailing volatile political situation in Andhra Pradesh, the Maoists may try to strengthen their base, police officials have warned.
Central Reserve Police Force troopers fighting the left-wing extremists face the challenges of lack of basic food items and water while operating on the ground, a top official of the specialised anti-Naxal unit of the force has said.
The Left-wing extremists have killed about 2,670 people--about 1,680 civilians and nearly 990 security personnel--since 2005, equalling three deaths every two days.
The Gujarat government on Thursday swung into damage-control mode after Chief Minister Narendra Modi reportedly referred to Maoists as 'our own people' at a function in Aligarh. Modi also suggested that a dialogue should be held to end the violence perpetrated by the Left-wing extremists, which is in sharp contrast to his party's rhetoric of taking strong action against the Maoists.Modi reportedly exhorted the Maoists to give up violence and resolve issues through talks.
Top Maoist leader Kishenji on Wednesday turned down Union Home Minister P Chidamabaram's conditional offer of talks saying that the government should "first stop violence".
Four jawans have been killed after Naxals blew up a vehicle carrying Central Reserve Police Force troopers in West Midnapore, West Bengal, on Wednesday.
Maoists shot dead two Trinamool Congress workers at Bandhghora village near Lalgarh in West Midnapore district, the police said on Saturday. The Left-wing extremists chopped the limbs of Paban Mahato, 38, and Kaushik Dutta, 35, and fired 11 bullets at them from a close range on Friday, they said. They were casual workers in the electricity department. Police said Maoist posters were recovered from the spot claiming that Dutta and Mahato were police informers.
Forty personnel from the Central Reserve Police Force, involved in Operation Green Hunt, were killed on Tuesday morning when they walked into a trap laid by Maoists at Dantewada district in Chhattisgarh.The attack took place when a CRPF patrol party was returning from a road opening duty in the Naxalite-infested Mukrana forest in the district, at approximately 6 am. The CRPF patrol party was totally taken aback by the Maoists.
On his first visit to the heart of Naxal territory in West Bengal, Union Home Minister P Chidambaram ruled out the involvement of the military in anti-Maoist operations and made a fresh offer of dialogue with the left-wing extremists.
The alleged encounter killing of Communist Party of India Maoist leader Cherukuri Rajkumar alias Azad took a new twist on Saturday after it was revealed that the other 'Maoist leader' killed in the encounter was actually a freelance journalist from Delhi. The man has been identified as Hemchandar Pandey, 32, a resident of Dewaltal village in Pithorgarh in Uttarkhand. Pandey was a freelance journalist working in Delhi.
A day after Home Minister P Chidambaram said Maoists could be behind the attack on Jnaneswari Express, Railway Minister Mamata Banerjee on Tuesday said she was not sure about the involvement of the Left-wing extremists.
Not keen to take any chances in the wake of the derailment of the Gyaneshwari Express on Friday, the railway ministry has decided to suspend the running of passenger trains for seven hours in the night in Naxal-affected areas, during the Black Week declared by the Left-wing extremists. The decision came after Maoists derailed the Howrah-Kurla Gyaneshwari Express in West Midnapore district of West Bengal in the wee hours of Friday, killing more than 100 people.
The left-wing extremists have called a shutdown in West Bengal, Bihar and Jharkhand on April 26 and 27. During these period, all the Rajdhani express trains passing through Bihar and Jharkhand will run at a restricted speed of 75 kmph during night hours instead of their original speed of 110-120 kmph, said sources in Railways.
In the wake of increased Maoist activities, the Orissa Government has placed before the Centre a list of demands including young paramilitary officers to train its men, helicopters and grants for setting up a anti-Naxal training centre.
The Jhargram train attack that killed at least 75 people on Friday is the latest of the over 65 Maoist attacks in the past one year that have targeted the railways. The Left-wing extremists have carried out four attacks on railway properties in May alone. On May 19, they triggered a landmine blast on railway tracks near Jhargram in West Midnapore district, injuring two drivers of a goods train and leaving the engine partially damaged.
The dreaded Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam may have been wiped off from Sri Lanka, but its lessons to Naxals are showing in the form of attacks carried out by improvised explosive devices with precision in the hinterlands of Chhattisgarh. The Left-wing extremists used the technique to blow-up a civilian bus on Monday in which at least 50 people were feared killed, officials said. The Maoists staged the attack by digging a tunnel on either side of the road.
After suffering a major blow at the hands of Maoists in Chhattisgarh, the Central Reserve Police Force on Friday said it will not let the blood of its men go waste and take the battle against the Left-wing extremists forward with a hardened resolve. "We will not let this blood go waste. I pledge to carry forward the battle," CRPF Special Director General (North) N K Tripathi said at the force's Valour Day event in New Delhi.
The police suspect that left-wing extremists may infiltrate the "Chalo Assembly" protest and spark violence during the stir called by the Telangana Joint Action Committee on June 14.
550 live cartridges, an INSAS assault rifle, two other rifles and three self-loading rifle magazines were seized along with a huge quantity of explosives and detonators.
As per the proposal, the new force would comprise 10 battalions (10,000 personnel) and would be set up on the pattern of 'Greyhounds' of the Andhra Pradesh Police and would be under the command and control of the CRPF, the world's largest paramilitary force.
The slain couple have been identified as central committee member Chandramouli alias Devanna and his wife Devi alias Devakka.
Director general, Railway Protection Force (RPF), Arun Kumar has asked general managers of zonal railways to keep vigil to contain the impact of the nationwide strike called by farmer groups against the three agri laws.
The government on Wednesday said the cadre strength of the Maoist organisations is around 8,500 and they have forged tactical understanding with some insurgent groups in the Northeast for procuring arms and ammunition.
At present, there is no scheme to compensate victims of cross border firing.
The CRPF gave this response while refusing to share its inquiry report into the incident with an RTI applicant.
On Monday, Assam Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi called on Prime Minister Narendra Modi and discussed the need to set up a comprehensive and coordinated strategy to nip the problem of extremism in the North-East in the bud.
The full bench of the Election Commission will meet on August 25 in New Delhi after the return of Chief Election Commissioner S Nasim Zaidi to discuss the Bihar assembly polls.
Communication, dated February 17 to all state governments, said the CPI (Maoist) planned to capture attention once again
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