Govt vows to hit back at Naxals with ‘vigour’

The audacious and well-planned attack by the Naxals in Chhattisgarh on Tuesday is being termed as the deadliest by the Maoist group in recent times. The very fact that over 70 soldiers of paramilitary forces were killed raises questions about the state of intelligence as well as the strategy followed by the forces against the militant group. On this issue, CNN-IBN spoke to Home Secretary G K Pillai and tried to know the Government’s side on the heavy casualty suffered in Dantewada.

CNN-IBN: Is this a massive intelligence failure on the part of security forces?

G K Pillai: There is no question of intelligence failure. This was a team which went out based on specific intelligence inputs two days ago. They went looking for the Maoists this morning but they got ambushed in the jungles. This is not an intelligence failure because we don’t have intelligence inside the jungles.

CNN-IBN: Whether it is intelligence or operation failure, the fact is that they walked right into a trap. Were the Naxals tipped off?

G K Pillai: No. I think they had already gone, I don’t think any villagers were there. My own hunch would be that the Maoists would be already sitting there when they (the forces) went. They possibly laid a trap on their way back. They should have been careful to avoid doing that. But we have to wait for the full report and investigation by the people at the spot.

CNN-IBN: Any specific reason behind the timing of this attack? There have been reports that Maoist leader Kishenji is dead. Is this attack in retaliation against that?

G K Pillai: I don’t think so. We know very well what the Maoists objective is. There is nothing pretty much for us to be surprised about this. Also, we are pleased to inform that we have been able to arrest some 12 Maoists with weapons in Chhattisgarh. So that is the retaliatory strike by us.

CNN-IBN: We are hearing about figures like a thousand Naxals surrounding the security forces. Can you confirm?

G K Pillai: I don’t think so, the figure of 1000 and all are highly exaggerated. For an ambush of this kind, it would be sufficient to have 100-200 people. The surprise element is always with you.

CNN-IBN: Can you confirm reports that the Ministry of Home Affairs is now asking for air-fire power?

G K Pillai: No such request has been made and we believe that we can handle the Maoists with helicopters only for evacuation and mobilisation.

CNN-IBN: Would you need armed forces for intelligence gathering etc?

G K Pillai: I don’t think so. I think we have our own sources of intelligence in many areas. In this particular area, we have had some successes in this area also.

CNN-IBN: It seems like no lessons learnt yet. A year ago the same type of attack was carried out by the Naxals. You see we have inducted more forces into the area so there are more targets for the Maoists to aim at.

G K Pillai: We have inducted 21 additional battalions and some casualties we will have to face in the ongoing operations. But we have also had lot of success against the Maoists.

CNN-IBN: Are you saying it because you are going further into Naxal areas isn’t it?

G K Pillai: Yes. We could not have been into the area, but we have been able to restore civil administration and take back areas in Rajnandgaon and….that we have done very successfully and the Maoists have not been able to counter that.

CNN-IBN: It seems like a Centre vs state issue and the local police not helping CRPF.

G K Pillai: In Chhattisgarh, we have excellent cooperation with state police. We are working together. Of all the states, we have maximum cooperation from Chhattisgarh.

CNN-IBN: What is the government doing to bolster the security forces?

G K Pillai: We have put in more additional forces. We are building up….and you will find that as the months go by, we will have the upper hand totally.

CNN-IBN: You say you have best relations with Chhattisgarh yet the CAG reports say that it lacks proper equipment.

G K Pillai: I don’t think so. We have no doubt. I don’t think the police forces in the country are deficient in training and equipment. It is our top priority to bolster the training and provide them with best equipment. It is a slow process but we will do it in the days and months to come.

CNN-IBN: After the deadliest Naxal attack, what do you have to say to the nation about what government would do?

G K Pillai: Basically as a nation we need more patience. We will start to show the success in the days to come. We have restored civil admin in about 5000 sq kilometers in the last four months. Both in Rajnandgaon and Kanker district, we are seeing the success. Dantewada is an area where it is not in the second stage. We would be coming to Dantewada a little later. This is one of those unfortunate incidents where a variety of factors have come together to cause this huge loss which we believe it was quite unfortunate.

CNN-IBN: Would we see you and the Home Minister heading there? When are the bodies expected to arrive?

G K Pillai: We have sent an aircraft to the area and the bodies will be brought back to Delhi tomorrow (Wednesday). We will be taking the necessary steps to build up the morale among the force itself which must be a little down right now. We have told not only the CRPF but also paramilitary forces not to get saddened by this incident. We will show the results with more vigour in the days to come.

(http://ibnlive.in.com/news/govt-vows-to-hit-back-at-naxals-with-vigour/112809-3.html?from=tn  07/04/10, IBN Live)

‘Govt strategists have little experience’

The Dantewada massacre was waiting to happen, former top cops said on Tuesday even as they blamed the incident on basic flaws in the philosophy behind the current anti-naxal operation `Green Hunt’. The equation between the state police and the central forces was flawed, said former BSF DGP Prakash Singh, an expert on anti-naxal operations. He said the state police should always take the lead in such operations while paramilitary forces provide reinforcements and technical and manpower support. The former DGP cited the Punjab success where the state police was trained and equipped in commando operations and it was their efforts that wiped out terrorism from the state.

In Tuesday’s incident, CRPF did not follow the standard operating procedure (SOP). “They should not have returned by the beaten track,” Prakash Singh said, adding that in a naxal-infested area, travelling by vehicle should have been avoided. The SOP says travelling in vehicles should be avoided and, generally, foot patrol should be undertaken which was not followed in this case, he added. Former Punjab supercop K P S Gill said it was a wrong decision to send troops on patrol for four days. “We have not learnt from experience,” he said as he recounted how in the past, similar naxal attacks on troops had resulted in big casualties.

Ajay Sahni of the Institute of Conflict Management blamed it on strategic failure and in the deployment of troops. “People who are deciding strategic operations have little experience of tackling Maoist violence. And those who have expertise are marginalised,” he said. “These Maoists have the capacity to assemble 500 people in an hour and our troops should have been adequately prepared for such attacks,” he added. The forces were technically ill-equipped and lacked the capability to fight naxals, Sahni said. In the six worst naxal-affected states, the total deployment is 57 battalions or roughly about 22,800 men which are very small compared to the vast area that is to be covered, he added. Forces are deployed in dense forest areas where it is difficult for them to even defend themselves.

P V Ramanna, a research fellow at the Institute for Defence Studies and Analyses (IDSA), however, disagreed with the criticism. He said, “When you are engaging Maoists in such a big way you are bound to have large casualties. This will happen for a couple of years before the security forces get an upper hand.” And how much time will it take for the forces to gain an advantage over the Maoists? “It may take two to five years before the forces have an upper hand against naxalites who have established deep roots in certain pockets,” Ramanna said. “Anti-naxal strategy is a flop strategy,” said K P S Gill, adding that it was forced upon the paramilitary forces who were obedient servants and they never objected to what was thrust on them. “You are sending 100 people in a forested area where the terrain is not known to them very well. Up to four days, they are sitting ducks,” he said.

(http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/Govt-strategists-have-little-experience/articleshow/5768060.cms  07/04/10, The Times of India)

It’s either do or die: Surfers on Naxals

A vast majority of surfers to this website, http://www.indiatoday.in, have supported using the Army to clamp down on Naxalites in the country, in reply to a question “Do you think the Army should be called in?” seeking comments. Almost 60 per cent of them said the Army should be introduced in the Bastar-Dantewada area of Chhattisgarh where the security forces are proving to be no match to the armed Maoists. At least 76 CRPF personnel were killed on Tuesday in a landmine blast in the state’s Dantewada district. A surfer, AB from Pune, says, “Army should be immediately called in to counter Naxalism. What is the point of going soft on Naxals? How many policemen need to sacrifice their lives before the Naxals are brought under control?” Another surfer, Vijay Singh from Nagpur, said it’s a do or die’ situation. “If we don’t, they will definitely take control of the country in the next 5-10 years,” he said.

India Today Group editorial director Prabhu Chawla said on twitter, “Time has come to treat Naxals as enemies of the Nation. Let us adopt a bullet for a bullet policy as Naxals become murderers of the poorest.” In a similar vein, senior journalist Vir Sanghvi also pitched for a stern response from the state. “As much as we sympathise with those the Maoists claim to represent, once anyone declares war on the state, the state must respond,” he said on twitter. Pooja Rathore from Shimla posed a counter-question on the ability of the CRPF personnel to take on Maoists given the lack of modern weapons, political support and no instruments to track the rebels’ activities. Similarly, VK Das from Lucknow said, “These things are happening because our armed policemen are ill-trained, ill-equipped and badly led. There is no valour in getting killed without killing the enemy but this is what is happening in all our police actions. We are losing much more than we are destroying.”

A word of caution was also sounded out. Vinoy Sinha from Ranchi said, “Chidambaram’s entire approach towards the Naxal problem is based on half-baked knowledge of Naxal ideology. If he still thinks the problem can be countered by Operation Green Hunt, he would be further risking the lives of the security men just to satisfy his own whims.”

(http://indiatoday.intoday.in/site/Story/91678/India/It’s+either+do+or+die:+Surfers+on+Naxals.html  07/04/10, India Today)

Explosives may have come from Maharashtra

The explosives used in Dantewada massacre may have been stolen from Maharashtra. Naxals had looted a tanker containing over 16 tonnes of ammonium nitrate, almost a month ago. Security forces believe that this could have been used in making explosives that were used in Tuesday’s attack. The tanker incidentally was on its way from Chandrapur in Gadchiroli to Dantewada in Chhattisgarh. Maoists waylaid the tanker that was transporting the chemical for a private company. They abducted the tanker and held it hostage for two days, then let the driver and cleaner go. “We suspect the same might have been used in Tuesday’s attack,” a top security official, who earlier was deployed in the region, told ET. In the light of Tuesday’s development, the Maharashtra government has decided to intensify its operations in Naxal-infested regions of Vidarbha bordering Chhattisgarh and Andhra Pradesh. The government is deploying around 9,000 additional security personnel in the region. Gadchiroli, Bhandara and Gondia districts have been identified as having strong Naxal presence. The districts have witnessed a number of ambushes by Naxals killing 20 security personnel last year.

The most gruesome incident happened last October, when 17 policemen were killed in an ambush by Naxals, led by a woman, at Laheri police outpost in the district. A few weeks earlier on September 30, Naxalites set ablaze gram panchayat offices at Korchi and Belgaon in Gadchiroli district. On March 24, Naxals set on fire a government guest house in the district. The state police forces along with central forces had been conducting operations in the area and have also been able to achieve some successes in terms of arrest and surrenders. It was a joint operation carried out by Chhattisgarh and Maharashtra police along the border areas. The state government has already formed a special action group created for anti-Naxal operations that works jointly with the central forces and the state police. As of now a battalion of BSF has also been deployed in the region.

(http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/politics/nation/Explosives-may-have-come-from-Maharashtra/articleshow/5768654.cms  07/04/10, Economic Times)

Chhatisgarh attack ‘consequence’ of Green Hunt: Maoist leader

On the day Maoist guerrillas carried out the worst massacre of security personnel by trapping and slaughtering 75 men in the dense forests of Chhattisgarh, Gopal, a top Maoist leader, said the attack was a “direct consequence” of the government’s Operation Green Hunt offensive. “The attack in Chhatisgarh and the earlier one in Orissa is a direct consequence of the Central Government persisting with Operation Green Hunt,” Gopal, ‘area commander’ of Bihar-Jharkahnd-northern Chhatisgarh, told BBC’s Hindi Service in an interview.

“There has been no impact of Operation Green Hunt (paramilitary offensive against Maoists in five states) on our cadres. We have become more alert since then. We believe that the time to engage in direct battle with the Central Government has now come. There is a new revolutionary zeal in our cadres,” he added. “We have been surrounded by paramilitary battalions. They are setting fire to the forests and making adivasis (tribals) flee. In this situation, we have no other alternative (but to stage attacks). “We were prepared to talk to the government. Chidambaram Sahab wanted a 72-hour ceasefire but our leader Kishenji offered a 72-day ceasefire. But we wanted an end to Operation Green Hunt and release of our leaders held in various jails to create the right environment for talks. But Chidambaram refused,” he said.

(http://www.hindustantimes.com/newdelhi/Chhatisgarh-attack-consequence-of-Green-Hunt-Maoist-leader/528184/H1-Article1-528028.aspx  06/04/10, Hindustan Times)

Dantewada attack: top Maoist leader suspected

A day after the Dantewada bloodbath in Chhattisgarh, the Andhra Pradesh Police has named Katakam Sudarshan alias Anand, one of the country’s top Maoist leaders, as the brain behind the daring attack. Middle-aged Sudarshan is a short, bespectacled widower and is one of the nine top leaders of the Maoists and a part of its politburo. He is the secretary of the outfit’s central regional bureau and is also in-charge of operations in the Dandakaranya forests, north Telangana and the Andhra-Orissa border. According to police sources, 53-year-old Sudarshan is a stocky man who is just 5’2″ tall. He is dark-complexioned and has thick hair and greying sideburns.

Police say Sudarshan is a brilliant strategist who plans every detail of an attack with clockwork precision. He is wanted in at least 17 criminal cases in Andhra Pradesh, including several murders, and carries a reward of Rs 12 lakh on his head. Sudarshan joined the erstwhile People’s War Group of Kondapalli Seetharamaiah in the 1980s and for the past three decades, has been leading the Maoist movement from north Telangana. In a recent interview Sudarshan had sharply reacted to Operation Greenhunt and had alleged that the Centre wanted to neutralise the top Maoist leadership.

(http://indiatoday.intoday.in/site/Story/91671/India/Dantewada+attack:+top+Maoist+leader+suspected.html  07/04/10, India Today)

No troop cut in JK till Sept: Pillai

Union Home Secretary GK Pillai has said that there will be no troop cut in Jammu and Kashmir for the next six months as the government will “wait and watch” before taking any steps on further reduction of troops in view of the upsurge in violence and infiltration. “We had a plan for further reduction of troops from Jammu and Kashmir. But we will wait and watch for the next six months and decide to see if any more forces should be withdrawn depending on the situation,” Pillai told a Delhi-based news service. “The decision to put a brake on the withdrawal of troops comes in the wake of fresh violence in the state and increase in infiltration,” he said. “Nearly 10 battalions of paramilitary troopers and two brigades of army have moved out of the state,” Pillai said. “But till September 30 it is unlikely that there will be further reduction. We will want the situation to stabilize. We are seeing high-level infiltration. Between now and September we will review the situation. I don’t think there will be any further reduction till then,” he said.

Pillai said the overall situation in the state was not so disturbing given the fact that security forces have been able to take on militants in the hinterlands before they succeeded in moving into populated areas. “The overall situation is good” barring the increase in infiltration levels. We have adequate forces to deal with infiltration. We have got a bulk of them (militants) in the hinterlands and not allowed them to go to populated areas,” he said. The government was also aiming to create a sense of freedom for the people of the state by taking security forces out of schools, colleges and other government buildings, and this process will start from May 1, he said.  “We still have forces in schools. We want to get them out so that children go to schools. From May 1 we will remove them.” This, he said, would give Kashmiris a freedom to “feel like the rest of India”.

(http://www.greaterkashmir.com/today/full_story.asp?Date=7_4_2010&ItemID=69&cat=1  06/04/10, Greater Kashmir)

Two months on, BSF men charged for J&K teen’s murder

Two months after a teenager was gunned down by security forces triggering massive protests, Jammu and Kashmir police on Tuesday charged BSF commandant R K Birdhi and Constable Lakhvinder Kumar Singh with murder. While the constable was arrested in February, the commandant was held in March for killing Zahid, a Srinagar teenaged boy, near Dal Lake on February 5. Birdhi is the senior most BSF officer to be arrested in past 20 years for such an incident. In its chargesheet filed before the court of chief judicial magistrate Mohammad Ibrahim Wani, the police charged them under Ranbir Penal Code Section 302 for murder. Police also charged them for criminal conspiracy, destruction of evidence and attempt to murder.

The challan was presented before the magistrate who read the presentation and accepted it and said it will be taken up on April 8 as judicial clerks, who were on strike, would have to check the documents and annexures. Birdi, according to Constable Lakhwinder Kumar, had directed him to fire at Zahid after he had an altercation with a group of youth near Dal Lake, the chargesheet stated. The two were suspended after a departmental inquiry held them responsible for dereliction of duty and hiding information. BSF had on February 10 admitted its troops might have been involved in the killing of 16-year-old-old Zahid Farooq. The statement of two constables was also annexed with the chargesheet which ran into several pages. Zahid’s killing had led to protests which could be brought under control only after chief minister Omar Abdullah ordered an inquiry and even took up the matter with the Prime Minister and the Union home minister.

J&K employees continue strike despite ESMA: Even though the J&K government invoked Essential Services Maintenance Act (ESMA), around 4.5 lakh employees continued their strike for the second day on Tuesday to mount pressure on the administration to fulfill their demands including release of pending arrears recommended by the Sixth Pay Commission. The strike paralysed work in government offices across the state, as the government as well as public sector employees stayed away from work.

(http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/Two-months-on-BSF-men-charged-for-JK-teens-murder/articleshow/5768621.cms  07/04/10, The Times of India)

Center honest about solving Naga issue says new interlocutor Pandey

Former Nagaland Chief Secretary and the Center’s new interlocutor RS Pandey said the Government of India was “honestly sincere” to find solution to the protracted Naga political issue. Talking to NEPS here at Raj Bhavan, Pandey, who arrived on Monday and would stay in the state till 10 of this month, said his coming to Nagaland was primarily to update himself of the prevailing atmosphere in the state. This is his maiden visit to Nagaland after assuming the office of Center’s interlocutor ship for talks with NSCN (IM). On the Naga sovereignty issue, the Center’s interlocutor had different approach to it. He said India had a concept of “shared sovereignty.” In some matters, States are sovereign, while in some other the Center is. He went to explain that sovereignty in matters of State List could be further augmented keeping the uniqueness of the Naga society. “That is where we have to explore to settle the problem,” he stated.

Pnadey also said the Nagas were “entitled to respect and self-dignity” and they had a right to developments available to them. “And their uniqueness should be respected,” he asserted adding that, “And in this spirit, the dialogue is going on. But a conclusion is yet to reach.” On his recent meeting with NSCN (IM) General Secretary Th Muivah at Delhi, Pandey said, “I find they are also keen to resolve the problem. They felt that it has been going for a long time. It is time the process should be expedited.” “So the dialogue is going on and as I earlier said the conclusion is yet to reach,” he added. He also disclosed that there was a spirit of understanding on both sides and thus optimism was there. “So long this spirit goes on, conclusion will be reached,” he believed.

Asked about his feeling on the responsibility bestowed upon him by the Center as he spent the prime of his life in Nagaland, Pandey, a 1972-batch Nagaland cadre IAS officer, said he spent about 20 years serving in various capacities up to Chief Secretary ship in Nagaland. “If my association with the Nagas can bring permanent peace in the land, it will give me immense joy,” he said. “But we have to understand the problem with objectivity. We have also to understand contemporary realities and look to the future with a view to bring about the best in the society.” He further averred that “whatever solution comes has to be broadly acceptable to the wide spectrum of the Naga public opinions.” Yet he felt that the sense of fear that had been still prevailing in the minds of the general publics should be removed, although it was good that killing had drastically come down. Giving credit for the drastic decline of factional killings to FNR and society at large, the Center’s interlocutor pointed out that “We have to live without fear and in that, the citizens can live with their chosen vocations.” “We want solution to it,” he said.

Stating that they would try all means to find solution to the Naga problem, Pandey said, “I always believe that when there is a will, there is a way.” At the same time, the general Naga public feedback was that they wanted the Naga problem be solved as earlier as possible. “So with the public support, there is no point it cannot be solved,” he added. “Let us have firm belief in God and try our best.” Pandey would be attending Mon Road Show cum Aoleang Festival on Wednesday and there too, he would be meeting wide cross sections of people before coming to Dimapur. He would leave Dimapur for Delhi on April 10.

(http://www.ifp.co.in/shownews.php?newsid=8931  06/04/10, Imphal Free Press)

If PM can hold talks with militants, why not with the living icon of non violent resistance: rights activists

If the Prime Minister of India can have dialogues with the separatist Naga rebels and even willing to talk with militants of Jammu and Kashmir, what is keeping him from having a talk with Irom Chanu Sharmila to sort out her genuine and legitimate demand for which she has been on nonviolence movement for over a decade. This was stated by Dr. Sunilam, ex-MLA and general secretary of INSOCO, Madhya Pradesh who arrived in Imphal today along with 14 other rights activists to show solidarity to Irom Chanu Sharmila and her historic nonviolent struggle for the repeal of the Armed Forces Special Powers Act, AFSPA. The team comprises of Rashtra Seva Dal, Pune, Yusuf Meheralli Yuva Biradari, Mumbai and Indian Solidarity Committee for Freedom Democracy and Human Rights (INSOCO), Kerala.

After coming to Imphal they met Irom Chanu Sharmila this afternoon at the JN Hospital security ward. Other members of the team includes advocate Savita Shinde, secretary INSOCO, Maharastra, Guddi, convenor Yusuf Meheraly Biradari(YMB), Maharastra, Santosh Thakur, ex-president YMB, PJ Josey, vp INSOCO, Kerala, Sachida Nand Singh, gen.secy, Rastra Sewa Dal(RSD) Bihar, Prof. Ajay, Bihar, Sandip, RSD(Uttranchal), Suresh RSD(Utranchal), Sunju convenor YMB(Orissa), Santosh, YMB, Orissa, Manibushan member YMB,Bihar, Alex, INSOCO, Kerala, Kh. Jibon Singh, Ex-MLA(Manipur) and  A. Devidas Sharma, GPF, Imphal.

During their meeting with Sharmila, members of the team expressed their solidarity to her movement stating that she is the living icon of nonviolence movement and compared with Mahatma Gandhi. The team also briefed about the visit and also assured to further spread her words throughout the country during a national conference. Earlier in the morning, the team showing their support took part in the ongoing relay hunger strike organized by the Sharmila Kanba Lup. While briefing media at the spot where relay hunger strike is being staged, Dr. Sunilam, revealed that it was very unfortunate that the people of NE especially Manipur has been facing the wrath of the draconian act like Armed Forces Special Powers Act, 1958 till date even after British left India for over 60 years adding he was surprised that no resolution has been taken by the Manipur Legislative Assembly despite the Jeevan Reddy Committee recommend the law as an inhumane one.

If the Prime Minister of India can have dialogue with separatist Naga rebels and even willing to talk with militants of Jammu and Kashmir why can’t the PM have talks with Irom Chanu Sharmila to sort out problem. Meanwhile, speaking to media persons, Sharmila, expressed her strong opposition of PM discrimination and the attitude of chief minister of Manipur adding she want to give a wake up call to those people who cannot see human values. The visit was a part of the Sapta Kranti Vichar Yatra organized by the three organization in the entire north eastern states from March 29 to April 9 to address the grievances and take up the issue at a national conference.

(http://www.kanglaonline.com/index.php?template=headline&newsid=52303&typeid=1&Idoc_Session=18d22e56c0f130a55da9226bce0f0df8  06/04/10, Kangla Online)