CPI(maoist) more powerful than any state's police department

The meeting of Governor/Chief Ministers of Left Wing Extremism affected States, convened by the Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh, got underway here today. Union Home Minister P.Chidambaram made opening remarks at the meeting. Following is the text of HM’s opening remarks:

“I welcome you to this meeting to review the situation in the States most affected by Left Wing Extremism. I am grateful to the Prime Minister for agreeing to chair this meeting.

The last meeting of Chief Ministers on Internal Security was held on February 7, 2010. In my opening remarks at that meeting, I had cautioned that there was a rise in the number of incidents of violence in 2009 and that “it is possible that this trend will continue in 2010 too.” During the period January to June, 2010, there have been 1103 incidents of violence perpetrated by Left Wing Extremists. While 97 extremists were killed and 1,341 apprehended, 209 members of the security forces also lost their lives. These figures underscore the gravity of the challenge posed by Left Wing Extremism.

You are aware that the CPI (Maoist) is the principal Left Wing Extremist organisation. As long as the CPI (Maoist) was not challenged effectively, it expanded its area of activity, recruited more cadres, kidnapped more persons, extorted more money, acquired or looted more weapons, asserted its dominance in more areas, and targeted the security forces as well as civilians. Among the civilians, the CPI (Maoist) specially targeted civilians who it named as ‘police informers’. Between 2004 and 2008, on an average, 500 civilians were killed every year and many of them were killed after being named ‘police informers’. In 2009, 591 civilians were killed, of which 211 were named as ‘police informers’. This trend has continued in the first half of 2010 too, with 325 civilians killed, of which 142 were named as ‘police informers’. We are especially concerned that ordinary citizens should be labelled as ‘police informers’ and killed by the CPI (Maoist). The CPI (Maoist) has no right to set itself up as judge, jury and executioner. In fact, it has no right to carry arms. It is a banned organisation and functions outside the pale of the law.

The State Governments and the Central Government cannot ignore these self-evident facts. Since the first meeting of Chief Ministers on Internal Security held on January 6, 2009, we have agreed upon a two pronged strategy, namely, development and police action. Since then we have remained on course and, in subsequent meetings at New Delhi and in the State capitals, we fine-tuned the strategy in accordance with State-specific requirements.
The efforts of the State Governments, assisted by Central Para-Military Forces, have met with mixed results. Key leaders of the CPI (Maoist) have been apprehended. Many attacks were repulsed. Security forces have asserted their control over some areas in the districts of Gadchiroli and Kanker. However, there have been setbacks too. The most serious setbacks were in Silda (West Bengal) and in Tarmetla, Chingawaram and Dhaudhai (all in Chhattisgarh). Besides, there was the derailment of the Gnaneswari Express that claimed the lives of 149 innocent civilians. While there have been some lapses on the part of the security forces in failing to follow standard operating procedure, there can be no gainsaying that the attacks by the CPI (Maoist) were pre-meditated and carried out with the object of inflicting maximum damage on the security forces and overawing the people and the elected governments. We would do well to remember that the attacks by the CPI (Maoist), whether opportunistic or pre-planned, are part of their strategy of ‘armed liberation struggle’ and in furtherance of their goal of ‘seizure of political power through protracted people’s war’.

The Central Government acknowledges the primary role and responsibility of the State Governments in enforcing law and order and in confronting the challenge of Left Wing Extremism. We also acknowledge the role and responsibility of the Central Government to assist the State Governments in every way – deploying central para-military forces, sharing intelligence, funding the modernization of police forces and providing logistics and other support. In the light of the experience gained in the last six months, we have reviewed the level of support that we can provide to the State Governments and we have taken the following decisions:

(i) To provide more helicopters for logistics support, troop movement, supplies and evacuation;

(ii) To fund the establishment/strengthening of 400 police stations in the affected districts at the rate of Rs.2 crore per police station on 80:20 basis over a period of two years;

(iii) To sanction additional SPOs to the States;

(iv) To request the State Governments of Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, Orissa and West Bengal to create a Unified Command for anti-naxal operations; to appoint a retired Major General of the Army as a member of the Unified Command; to request the four State Governments to appoint an IG as IG (anti-naxal operations) for that State; and to appoint an IG, CRPF as IG (Operations) for that State to work in close coordination with the IG (anti-naxal operations) of that State;

(v) To set up an empowered group chaired by Member-Secretary, Planning Commission to modify existing norms/guidelines in the implementation of various development schemes having regard to the local needs and conditions in the affected districts;

(vi) To advise the State Governments to implement PESA strictly and vigorously; in particular, to ensure that rights over minor forest produce are assigned to the Gram Sabhas and the inter-position of Government controlled departments/ corporations/cooperatives are removed;

(vii) To improve road connectivity in 34 districts most affected by Left Wing Extremism. A number of roads and bridges are proposed to be included, at a cost of Rs.950 crore, by the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways under RRP-I.

(viii) The Planning Commission is considering a Special Development Plan for the affected districts/States with emphasis on road connectivity, primary education, primary health care and drinking water. Consultations have been held with the State Governments and it is expected that the Plan will be placed before the competent authority, shortly, for approval.

In the course of your interventions, I would request each one of you – the Governor and the Chief Ministers – to give your views on the measures that I have outlined above. I would also request you to tell us what more measures are required to be taken to curb the menace of Left Wing Extremism. I hope that each one of you will bring to the table the things that we are doing right and the things that we are doing wrong and that we can have a free and frank discussion on this very serious subject.

With these words I welcome you once again to this meeting. I shall now request the Hon’ble Prime Minister to kindly chair the meeting and guide our deliberations.

Thank you.”

59 journalists killed in first half of 2010

Fifty-nine journalists have been killed because of their work in the first six months of this year, up from 53 for the same period last year, the Press Emblem Campaign said on Monday.

The highest toll was in Mexico, where nine were killed in the six months to June because organised crime was "hunting journalists", the Geneva-based non-government organisation said in a statement.



The other most dangerous countries for the media were Honduras, where eight journalists were killed, Pakistan (six), Nigeria (four) and the Philippines (four).

PEC secretary general Blaise Lempen said in the statement that journalists "are extremely exposed in countries which witness internal problems".

Lempen said "governments and the international community must act in firmness to stop those killings and bring the perpetrators of those crimes to justice".

Three journalists were killed in Russia, three in Colombia and two in Iraq, Nepal, Thailand and Venezuela.

One journalist was killed in Afghanistan, Angola, Bangladesh, Brazil, Bulgaria, Cameroon, Cyprus, Ecuador, Israel, Democratic Republic of Congo, Rwanda, Turkey, Somalia and Yemen.

Lempen said the reasons for the killings varied from the organised crime in Mexico to tribal tensions in Pakistan and Nigeria, and settling political disputes in the Philippines, the Russian Caucasus and in Nepal.

The organisation, which campaigns for better protection for journalists in conflict zones, also noted that two French TV journalists had been captured for more than six months in Afghanistan.

It "deplores the dangers to which journalists are subjected to because of their work, which includes hostage taking," the statement said.

Last year, a record 122 journalists were killed because of their profession and 91 in 2008, said the group, which keeps a tally of the deaths on its www.pressemblem.ch website.

CPI (Maoist) PB Member Azad Killed in a fake encounter

THE END: The body of Maoist leader Cherukuri Rajkumar lies where he was killed in Adilabad district on Friday. The HIndu

The Andhra Pradesh police on Friday said it had shot dead top naxalite Cherukuri Rajkumar alias Azad, along with an unidentified cohort, in an exchange of fire in Adilabad district, close to the State’s border with Maharashtra.

The death of Azad, a member and spokesman of the Central Committee of the CPI (Maoist) and a member of the Polit Bureau, has dealt a big blow to the Maoist movement in India. He was an ideologue who had specialised in field-craft as well.

Even as some sources questioned the encounter theory, the police said the gunfight lasted more than three hours. An AK-47 assault rifle, a pistol and two kitbags were found at the scene.

The alleged encounter took place on a 500-metre-high hillock 3 km from the nearest motorable road. With the monsoon having set in, the forest had become lush green, and the tribals had started farming operations. Some of them were tilling the land, but none would speak to The Hindu about the encounter.

Azad, around 58 years old, hailed from Krishna district of Andhra Pradesh. He went underground in 1979. He was arrested in 1975 and 1978 and jumped bail. He carried a reward of Rs. 12 lakh on his head.


A decades-old picture of Azad from the police files
He had apparently been tasked with reviving the Maoist movement in Andhra Pradesh. He was a member of the Urban Sub-Committee (USCO) and was in charge of the South Western Regional Bureau (SWRB) of Maoists, which coordinates the movement in Kerala, Karnataka, Maharashtra and Gujarat.

Police sources familiar with the Maoists’ pattern of activity said Friday’s encounter deaths could lead to reprisal attacks in Maoist strongholds in Chhattisgarh, Orissa, Bihar, Jharkhand and West Bengal. They, however, said the death of Azad had broken the aura of invincibility that the Maoists were seeking to create by means of their recent brutal strikes against the security forces.

Adilabad Superintendent of Police P. Promod Kumar told journalists that the police had launched combing operations following intelligence inputs that a team of Maoists had moved into the forests from Maharashtra. One of the police teams encountered a group of 25 to 30 rebels in the hilly terrain near Sarkepally, a village 15 km from the border with Maharashtra.

“Our team… cautioned them to surrender, but it came under fire, forcing it to retaliate,” the officer said.

‘Villagers heard no gunshots at night’

SARKEPALLI (ADILABAD): The encounter site amid tall bamboo plants and covered with boulders and stones at Sarkepalli village in Jogapur forests in Wankhidi mandal hardly resembled a place where an alleged exchange of fire took place for three hours in the late hours of Thursday. Curiously enough, none in the surrounding villages heard any gunshots being fired in the still of the night.

“We did not hear any sound of firing between 10 pm and 2 am,” a villager said. Though the district police chief claimed there were 20-25 persons on each side exchanging fire, not a single policeman was injured. Local people said SIB personnel entered the village around 8 pm. Raising doubts, surrendered woman naxal Kavitakka said a top leader like Azad is always surrounded by a security ring of 60-70 Maoist cadre.

Insiders allege Azad was picked up from Nagpur on Thursday morning and later taken to an undisclosed destination where he was interrogated.

“Initially, he was to be taken to Karimnagar. But because of heavy rain, SIB sleuths changed plans and moved towards Adilabad Jogapur forests,” sources said. The travel time from Nagpur to Jogapur village is around 5 hours, it is learnt.

“Azad was bumped off in cold blood. He was unarmed,” Katta Ramachandra Reddy alias Gudsa Usendi, spokesman of Dandakaranya SZC, said. He said the Maoist party would regroup soon.

“The void cannot be filled easily. Though it is a huge loss for us, Union home minister P Chidamabaram cannot destroy us with these fake encounters,” he said on phone. He said they lost contact with Azad around 10.30 am on Thursday. Azad was to meet a courier in Nagpur and then head towards Dandakaranya when he was allegedly picked up by SIB sleuths

HYDERABAD/ADILABAD: Maoists spokesperson Cherukuri Rajkumar alias Azad, who was killed in an alleged encounter, was reportedly picked up by SIB sleuths at Sitabardhi locality in Nagpur on Thursday around 11 am when he came to meet a courier. “Azad was supposed to go with the courier to Dandakaranya region where he was to take classes for the cadre from Friday,’’ Katta Ramachandra Reddy alias Gudsa Usendi, Dandakaranya Special Zonal Committee official spokesman said.

However, the district police in Adilabad differ. “Acting on a tip-off that a group of 20-25 Maoists were heading to Adilabad from Maharashtra, we sent a police team for search operations in Wankhidi area. They came across the reds around 10.30 pm on Thursday,’’ Adilabad SP P Pramod Kumar said.


Com. Sahdev
The rebels fired at the police party, which retaliated. The exchange of fire continued till 2 am. “It was early in the morning we recovered two bodies. A surrendered Maoist Sakkubai identified one of the two killed as Azad,’’ Kagaznagar DSP Sashidhar said.

Meanwhile, the AP High Court dismissed a writ plea filed by Maoist sympathizer and Virasam leader Varavara Rao who demanded Azad’s body be brought to Hyderabad and a postmortem done at Osmania hospital. Alleging that Azad was killed in a fake encounter, Varavara Rao said: “After tracking Azad in Nagpur, the police took him to the forests in Adilabad and killed him.’’

Azad was allegedly involved in the killing of Congress MLA Narsi Reddy in Narayanpet in Mahbubnagar on Aug 15, 2005, which led to re-imposition of the ban on the Maoists in AP