NAXAL/ MAOISTS- 2012 - Indian Social Institute

Maoists to take the poll plunge (12)MALKANGIRI: The Maoists will call the shots, literally, in this panchayat elections. Contrary to adoptingthe violent recourse to vitiate the poll process, the rebels, this time would be selecting candidates for thepanchayat elections, filing of nominations for which will begin on January 7. If sources are to be believedthis would be for the first time that the political parties will have no role in candidates’ selection. More than50 panchayats in the Maoist hotbeds of Malkangiri and Koraput districts would go for elections inFebruary. Police sources said many supporters, sympathisers and also members of the banned outfit arelikely to join the fray for the posts of sarpanches, ward and samiti members from Badural, Madkapadar,Andrahal, Salimi, Badpadar, Papermetla, Jodamba, Panasput, Nakamamudi, Ralegada, Badapada,Manyamkonda, Kangurkonda, Materu, Niliguda and Telrai panchayats in Malkangiri district and Majhiput,Bodaput, Kathapada, Kollar, Chipakur, Dandabadi, Ramgiri, Haladikund and Doraguda panchayats underBoipariguda block in Koraput district, bordering Malkangiri. Conducting panchayat polls in the Maoiststrongholds has posed a serious challenge to the police and the district administration over the years.They had gunned down Ramgiri block BJD president Nrusingh Charan Panda at his residence onSeptember 25, 2010. The direct involvement of Maoists in the polls, however, would mean peacefulelections at least in the areas where Maoists have a strong presence, sources said. Security expertsdescribed it as a ‘strategy’ of the Maoists to prevent the entry of forces to their strongholds for jointcombing operation. The rebels, in a series of meetings held at several remote and interior pockets ofMalkangiri and Koraput recently, selected more than a dozen candidates in the two districts much aheadof the scheduled date for filing of nominations, sources said. According to sources, most of the Maoistsupportedcandidates are likely to contest from areas where they have strong presence. If the ultras, theirsupporters and sympathisers enter the fray for the election to local bodies, then it is a good sign fordemocracy, said a top police official on condition of anonymity. The Government should encourage theultras to join the democratic process at the grassroots level as part of its efforts to “bring the Maoists intothe mainstream of society,” he said. If the Maoists end up selecting the candidates _ directly or indirectly_ the results are nothing but clear. The candidates would win unopposed. (NIE 3/1/12)State reaches out to rebels again: But no let-up in anti-Naxalite operations (12)Ranchi, Jan. 4: The Jharkhand government has appealed to Maoist rebels to make a fresh beginning inthe New Year by surrendering to the rule of law, as it responded to feelers from a section of cadres, butdid not promise any let-up in ongoing anti-rebel operations. The government gave a month’s time toactive members of CPI(Maoist) to return to the mainstream, through an advertisement in local dailies onDecember 31. In the public notice, the government made a sentimental appeal, stating that a trueJharkhandi would never like to be associated with people who kill fellow villagers, blow up schools andexploit women. “Some Maoist leaders are misguiding the people to serve their personal interests andpitching poor tribals against each other,” the advertisement said. The notice also had on display therehabilitation package a rebel was entitled if they gave themselves up under the state’s surrender policyapproved in February 2009. Around 21 Maoists had surrendered and were at present lodged in BirsaMunda Central Jail following a call by the then DGP Neyaz Ahmed under Operation Nayi Dishayen in2010. However, even as it asked the rebels to surrender, the state did not commit to any let- up inoperations against Maoists. Director-general of police G.S. Rath said a month’s deadline did not meanthat the forces would slow down operations against the Naxalites. “They can’t be given time for anindefinite period,” he said. Explaining the reasons behind the renewed appeal, home secretary J.B. Tubidsaid the state had received feelers that a large number of Maoists wanted to surrender, particularly inRanchi and Khunti, but they were being threatened by their leaders. “So, we gave them a month to availthe opportunity and join the mainstream,” he reasoned. He added that the public appeal had evoked agood response so far, but would not reveal any figures. The components of the surrender packageinclude an initial grant of Rs 2.5 lakh. The rebels stand to gain an additional Rs 1 lakh if they surrenderedwith weapons. For example, a rocket launcher will fetch Rs 1 lakh; AK and sniper rifles Rs 75,000; .303rifle/pistol/revolver Rs 15,000; remote-controlled devices Rs 6,000; grenade/hand grenades Rs 2,000;wireless sets Rs 2,000 to Rs 10,000, depending on range, IEDs Rs 6,000 and a kg of explosives Rs2,000. The surrendered rebels are also eligible for Rs 3,000 a month for a year for vocational training.They will also get land and Rs 50,000 for constructing a house. A surrendered extremist is also entitled toget the entire award money declared for their capture by the state. In that case, a politburo memberstands to get Rs 12 lakh, a regional/special area committee member/state committee member Rs 10 lakh,an alternate central special area committee member Rs 8 lakh, a regional committee member Rs 7 lakh,

a smokescreen to prevent us from meeting her, and constitutes a violation of Ms. Sori's rights as aprisoner,” read a press release issued by the group. (The Hindu 15/1/12)Police arrest Maoists, seize explosives in Latehar, Bokaro (12)LATEHAR/BOKARO, January 17, 2012: Security forces seized explosives and arrested two Maoists fromseparate places during anti-naxal operations in Jharkhand's Latehar and Bokaro districts, police said onMonday. As many as seven IEDs were recovered at Barwadih in Latehar district during search operationduring the day. In the two-day search operation the CRPF and Bokaro district police since Sunday, thepolice nabbed Maoist ‘area commander' Janaki Mahato and alleged rebel Moti Mahato from villagessituated near Jhumra foothills, additional Superintendent of Police Prasant Karn told reporters. Theoperation was launched under helicopter surveillance, he said, adding that a huge cache of explosiveswere recovered during the scourging of the dense forests. Besides four IEDS, the security men seized500 grams of gun powder, 15 metre black wire, 20 kg ammonium nitrate, a double barrel gun and onecountry-made gun, the ASP said. —PTI (The Hindu 17/1/12)13 policemen killed in ambush, Maoists loot anti-mine van (12)RANCHI, January 21, 2012: Thirteen police personnel were killed in an ambush by Maoists in the Saroforests of Jharkhand's Garhwa district on Saturday. After causing a landmine blast between the Burgarand Bhadaria Road police stations, the rebels opened fire at an anti-mine van, killing 11 jawans of theJharkhand Armed Police-7 and two police personnel. The ultras also took away 11 INSAS rifles, two selfloadingrifles and one AK-47 from the van, said Jharkhand police spokesman R.K. Malik. Two injuredpersonnel were admitted to hospital. Additional forces were rushed to the spot, a Maoist-dominated area.The security forces were escorting zilla parishad president Sushma Mehta to a village, where she was tomeet aggrieved people protesting against the poor condition of a primary health centre. While Ms. Mehtaescaped unhurt, her bodyguard and driver went missing after the blast, the police said. Last December,12 police personnel were killed in the same district when Maoists attacked a convoy of Inder SinghNamdhari, MP. (The Hindu 21/1/12)Maoist camp destroyed, weapons and explosives seized (12)Malkangiri, January 22, 2012: A Maoist camp was destroyed and several weapons and explosive deviceswere seized during a joint combing operation by security forces in a jungle in Odisha’s Malkangiri districton Sunday. Acting on a tip-off, the elite anti-naxal Special Operations Group (SOG) force of Odisha andpolice launched combing operation and spotted the camp in Tekguda forest under Kalimela area, about50 km from here, Inspector-in-Charge of Kalimela police station, Anirudh Routray said. Though the redrebels fled from the scene on getting information about combing operation, police seized three electronicdetonators, more than 200 metres of wire used for landmine, two country-made rifles and many livecartridges from the spot, he said. A camera flash and some Maoists posters and leaflets were alsoseized. During last week huge quantities of explosives and other articles were seized by police duringraids in several areas of Maoist-infested Malkangiri district, Mr. Routray said. (The Hindu 22/1/12)“Naxalites recruiting young boys, girls” (12)HYDERABAD, January 23, 2012: Union Minister for Rural Development Jairam Ramesh has noted withconcern the “disturbing trend” of naxalites recruiting young boys and girls. “Young boys and girls in theage group of 12 to 15 years are recruited by naxalites,” he told a meeting here to mark the completion of20 years of the M. Venkatarangaiya Foundation, which is working in the field of child labour eradication.Mr. Ramesh called for a combination of political activism, developmental intervention, effectiveintelligence gathering and police action to tackle Naxalism. He suggested a determined political activityaimed at giving the tribal population a life of dignity. It should also be ensured that the tribals are notharassed by the local administration. Tracing the spread of Naxalite ideology in central India, forest andtribal areas in the last five decades, the Minister said one reason was the insensitivity of governments tothe needs of tribal population. Nearly 20 million tribals were displaced by power, mining and irrigationprojects. The displacement was twice and even thrice in certain cases. Mr. Ramesh said he wasinquisitive about what attracted tribals to naxalites, when he met a foreign correspondent who travelledwith naxalites for 34 days in the forests inhabited by the Abhujmariya tribe, which is found in the Bastarregion of Chhattisgarh. (The Hindu 23/1/12)

local body. But not only did Alam continue to preside over the panchayat samiti body, he also encouragedlocal youths to contest the elections. (The Telegraph 31/1/12)15-year-old Maoist girl surrenders (12)ADILABAD, February 2, 2012: Kursinge Divya alias Bharatakka, a 15-year-old tribal extremistsurrendered herself to the district police on Wednesday. Adilabad Superintendent of Police S. Tripathisaid the young extremist, a resident of Kothurpally of Jannaram mandal joined the CPI (Maoist) ranks inSeptember 2011 attracted by revolutionary songs. She was deputed to report on events like publicmeetings of Telugu Desam Party president N. Chandrababu Naidu and Keslapur's Nagoba jatara. Unableto cope up with the hardships of underground life, she decided to surrender herself. –Staff Reporter (TheHindu 2/2/12)40 landmines seized in Jharkhand forest (12)RANCHI, February 2, 2012: Police recovered 40 landmines during an anti-Maoist operations in the Saniajungle of Latehar district of Jharkhand on Wednesday. “We destroyed two Maoist training centres,recovered five grenades, two pistols, one rifle and some wires. This is a major achievement for us,” saidG.S. Rath, Director-General of Police (Jharkhand). “We are hoping to destroy more such training campsin the near future. We have a more systematic plan to counter their attack this time. We got informationthat they are currently running many training camps in the district, which is why they are attacking officialvehicles that pass the area.” According to Latehar Senior Superintendent of Police V. Chandar Mohan,“The operations took place in Latehar and Garwah districts of Jharkhand and it took one week for thepolice to get information about this training camp.” “We have succeeded in driving them out from one oftheir bunkers. We recovered a large quantity of foodgrains, which means they have to contact nearbyvillages for food. We have alerted all nearby rural areas and are ready for action,” said Mr. Mohan Policebegan anti-Maoists operations after an ambush in which 13 policemen were killed in Garwah district lastmonth. In December last, 12 police men were killed in the district. Maoists attacked a convoy of the LokSabha member Inder Singh Namdhari in that incident. (The Hindu 2/2/12)Sarpanch candidate's husband booked for suspected Maoist links (12)BHUBANESWAR, February 3, 2012: A sarpanch contesting ensuing panchayat election on Thursdaylodged a complaint that her husband was arrested by the police after allegedly branding him as a Maoistrebel on political grounds. Kumudini Pradhan, the 38-year-old woman from Juangia panchayat underDaringbadi block of Kandhamal district, here registered a complaint with the State Election CommissionAjit Kumar Tripathy. “Till January 15 this year, my husband was a law-abiding citizen who participated inelectoral politics and contributed to development in capacity of contractor. But what happened last monthwas beyond my comprehension. Police arrested him alleging he had connection with Left wingextremists,” Ms. Pradhan said. The tribal lady alleged, “I am sure that my husband became victim ofpolitics. I am presently sarpanch of Sonepur. In the ensuing panchayat election, I have again filednomination.Daringbadi is Maoist-hit region. Many wanted to become sarpanch without contestingelections. A political conspiracy was being hatched against me.” “My opponent had bribed the local policefor arresting my husband. The idea is to hamper my electoral campaign. No warrant was pending againstmy husband's name. My husband was not involved in any crime either,” she said. He was forced by thepolice to walk along serpentine forest roads and carry rifle, Ms. Pradhan, said adding that police hadassaulted him physically. The sarpanch candidate further alleged that there had been examples of asarpanch and block chairman falsely being implicated. Ms. Pradhan urged the State Election Commissionto intervene in the matter and facilitate interim bail so that he could help her fight the election. “Policeofficers who were involved in arresting my husband should be kept off from the election process,” shesaid. (The Hindu 3/2/12)Hold impartial probe into Azad killing: Agnivesh (12)NEW DELHI, February 4, 2012: Social activist Swami Agnivesh has urged CBI Director A.P. Singh to “actto retrieve its [the CBI's] reputation” and carry out an independent and impartial probe into the allegedJuly 1, 2010, encounter killing of Maoist spokesman Cherukuri Raj Kumar alias Azad, and attack on him(Mr. Agnivesh) and people of three villages of Chhattisgarh by the Salwa Judum and the police personnelin March last year. In a letter to Mr. Singh, dated January 30, 2012, Swami Agnivesh wanted the CBIchief to act fast “to restore public faith in the rule of law” in both cases. He expressed the hope that the

final report of the CBI on Azad's killing, expected to be submitted to the Supreme Court by March, wouldbe free and fair. Recalling Azad's killing and the subsequent developments which compelled him to writethe letter “with deep anguish,” Swami Agnivesh said that on January 14, 2011, he filed a writ petition inthe Supreme Court seeking a high-level impartial probe into the encounter. On May 14, the court askedthe CBI to submit the interim report within six weeks and the final report in three months. “Disregardingthe seriousness of this high-voltage encounter killing involving the Central Home Ministry and the AndhraPradesh police and the whole peace process which got sadly derailed, the CBI dragged its feet formonths beyond the deadline,” the activist said. The interim report, which was submitted to the SupremeCourt, after seven months, admitted that the CBI had not looked into the most basic Central ForensicLaboratory Report. If it were not for the court monitoring, “the CBI would have compromised its alreadybruised reputation of working under the influence of its political bosses,” Swami Agnivesh said. About thedelay by the CBI on probing the attacks on him and villagers of Tadmetla, Timapuram and Morpalli, whenhe and his companions were trying to deliver relief materials to the people during March last year, he saidthat on July 5 the Supreme Court ordered the CBI to file a preliminary report in six weeks. But it was onlylast month that the CBI visited the villages for the first time. He said the CBI had till now not recorded thestatements of those who accompanied him (during that visit), or the members of the Salwa Judum or theSPOs, who were allegedly involved in the attack. As in the case of Azad, delay and any leniency showntowards the police during investigation would “give the public an impression that the CBI is not seriousabout this case, and that it is acting under the control of the Home Ministry.” The activist said that fromnews reports, it was evident that the CBI team was accompanied by some 300 security personnel,including some of the SPOs, who were named by the villagers of being present during the arson, killingsand rapes. There had also been news reports of beating up of one villager by the forces in Morpalli, evenas the investigation was on. The CBI must hold the district police responsible for vitiating theinvestigation. According to the Andhra Pradesh police, Azad, along with a journalist, was shot dead, in anexchange of fire in Adilabad district. Azad was a member and spokesman of the Central Committee of theCPI (Maoist). However, a probe by human rights activists claimed that both of them were shot dead incold blood and it was a fake encounter. (The Hindu 4/2/12)Maoist squad leader killed in West Bengal (12)Midnapore, February 6, 2012: A Maoist squad leader was killed today in an exchange of fire with jointsecurity forces in Jamtal jungle in West Midnapore district, police said. Yudhistir Mahato alias Aryun waskilled when security forces purportedly opened retaliatory fire after Maoists attacked them during acombing operation in the area. Police said the joint forces had raided the area on a tip-off that Mahatowas holding a meeting in the jungle. Other rebels present there managed to escape. Mahato, hailing fromBarikul area of Bankura district, was a member of Madan Mahato squad and had recently been given theorganisational charge of Belpahari area, police said. (The Hindu 6/2/12)Face of Salwa Judum killed in Maoist ambush in Chhattisgarh (12)New Delhi, February 11, 2012: On Thursday evening, cadres of the outlawed Communist Party of India(Maoist) opened fire on a Mahindra Scorpio vehicle in Chhattisgarh's troubled Sukma district and killedKartam Surya, a 29-year-old police constable, absconder from the law and alleged rapist, who had cometo symbolise the excesses of the State's counter-insurgency campaign. Described as the “Scourge of theMaoists” in obituaries in local newspapers, Mr. Surya began his career in law enforcement as SpecialPolice Officer [SPO] during the Salwa Judum and rapidly grew to head the “Surya Group”: a band ofapproximately 100 SPOs who were dubbed ‘Koya Commandos' and who operated under dubious legalcover as the vanguard of the State police's counter-insurgency effort. Mr. Surya was one of the threeinformal SPO commanders. In January last year, Ismail Khan, head of the Ismail group of Industries, wasfatally shot at point-blank range by a Maoist guerilla as he watched a rooster fight in Sukma town, whileKicche Nanda of the Nanda group was injured in the Thursday ambush that claimed Mr. Surya. CRPFofficers and policemen who operated alongside the three men described them as brave and committedsoldiers. Since its inception in 2005, the controversial Salwa Judum has been described as either aspontaneous peaceful tribal upsurge against the Maoists, or a violent government-backed vigilante force.Thousands of young men were designated as SPOs under the Chhattisgarh Police Act and pushed intoanti-Maoist operations. Petitions filed in the Supreme Court accuse Salwa Judum members and SPOs ofover 500 murders, 99 rapes and 103 acts of arson. Villagers and local journalists in Sukma said Mr.Surya was intimately involved in the Salwa Judum and could have been responsible for at least some of

the incidents listed in the petitions, but was never held accountable as he wielded tremendous influenceamongst the SPOs and was an accomplished trooper. An article in The Indian Express , for instance,described Mr. Surya as the “mentor and first leader of SPOs.” In 2009, Mr. Surya and another ‘SPOCommander' Kicche Nanda were accused of raping three tribal women, aged between 19 and 23, at SamSetti village in the summer of 2006 and charged with rape, criminal intimidation and wrongfulconfinement. On November 17, 2009, a sessions court issued warrants against Mr. Surya and hiscohorts, but counsel for the State said the police were unable to track down the accused, even as bothmen continued to participate in police raids and search operations. The following day, Mr. Surya and Mr.Nanda were declared absconders. In April 2011, villagers from Tarmetla, Timapuram and Morepalliaccused the Koya Commandos of raping three women, killing three men and burning close to 300 homesand granaries in the course of a five-day operation. It is unclear if Mr. Surya participated in the operation,but policemen and local journalists have confirmed that he was present when a mob of former andserving SPOs attacked a convey carrying emergency rations to the affected villages. In July 2011, theSupreme Court took cognisance of the multiple allegations of rape, murder, and arson levelled againstChhattisgarh's SPOs and ruled that the use of SPOs like Mr. Surya in anti-Maoist operations wasunconstitutional. The Chhattisgarh government responded by inducting Mr. Surya as a constable in theState police force and incorporating his men into a newly created Chhattisgarh Auxiliary Armed PoliceForce. The men continued to report to Mr. Surya, making him one of the few police constables in thecountry to command a company-sized force of armed men. The Chhattisgarh police deny the formalexistence of a “Surya group” and maintain that SPOs do not head operations but work under thesupervision of senior policemen. Senior officers have maintained that any such ‘groups' could be aremnant of the Salwa Judum days when SPOs organised themselves on the basis of village affiliations.The Chhattisgarh police are unable to offer any information on the 2009 warrant pending against Mr.Surya, despite this correspondent mailing them copies of the court order. A police spokesperson wasunable to state if Mr. Surya had in fact appeared before court and received bail, or if he had continued toparticipate in police operations two years after being declared “absconder” in a court of law. (The Hindu11/2/12)We are not against all industries: Maoist leader (12)BHUBANESWAR, February 12, 2012: Dispelling the general perception that the CPI(Maoist), the left wingextremist outfit, is opposed to all industrial projects, Odisha-based top red leader Sabyasachi Panda saidgoing all out against industries would shatter the livelihood of labourers. The secretary of the Odishaorganising committee of CPI(Maoist) clarified this while speaking to a select group of journalists at anundisclosed location in Kandhamal district, about 250 km from here, on Thursday evening. “Communismalways gives priority to the working class. If all industrial projects and mining operations are brought to ahalt, labourers will suffer,” Mr. Panda said reacting to a question on the CPI(Maoist) demanding‘protection money' from industries. He said: “We are closely watching industrial development in the State.As a matter of fact we have decided to oppose alumina projects. As alumina refineries cause pollutionand displace poor tribals… these types of project need to be opposed.” “The decision to oppose theproject was not taken overnight. The issue of pollution caused by alumina refineries has been debated inintellectual circles at great length. In fact, we have taken a stand on the issue of land acquisition. We willoppose all projects that seek to displace peasants,” he said. Mr. Panda elaborated that industries shouldbe regulated by empowering people to take control of the industries. Commenting on the ongoingpanchayat election, he said: “The party has already made it clear that it does not believe in electoralpolitics. Both ruling and Opposition parties are both sides of one coin. Results of the electoral politics arecorruption and repression. We want to achieve people's democracy.” (The Hindu 12/2/12)Anti-Naxal meet in Delhi on Feb 22 (12)New Delhi, Feb. 20: With red terror continuing in different parts of the country, the Home Ministry hasconvened a meeting of top police and civil officers of Maoist-affected States on Wednesday to take stockof anti-Naxal operations and fine-tune the strategy. The Chief Secretaries and Directors General of Policeof Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, Bihar, Orissa, West Bengal, Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh and MadhyaPradesh will take part in the meeting that will have in-depth deliberations on the security situation in theMaoist belt. Official sources said the top officials would fine-tune the issue of co-ordination among Statepolice and Central police forces and firm up a strategy on how to go after the Naxals who often flee fromone State to another after committing a crime. The killing of four BSF personnel in Odisha's Malkangiri

last week is expected to figure in the meeting as such incidents keep happening despite the HomeMinistry suggesting security personnel to take maximum precautions while travelling in Naxal-dominatedareas. The meeting will also review the development programmes being carried out in Naxal-affecteddistricts and ways to speed them up to reach the maximum number of people. Naxal violence has beenreported in areas falling under 270 police stations in 64 districts in eight States. The level of violence inLeft-wing extremism-affected states is still high with 447 civilians and 142 security personnel killed in2011. The Centre has deployed 71 battalions (comprising around 71,000 personnel) of paramilitaryforces. The Budget allocation under the head of security-related expenditure has been increased to Rs337 crore in 2011-12 against only Rs 80 crore in 2008-09. The Government is also implementing anambitious Integrated Action Plan (IAP) in 60 tribal and backward Maoist-affected districts since 2010. Thescheme has been extended to 18 more districts since December 2011. (Business Line 20/2/12)Centre demystifies Maoists' modus operandi (12)NEW DELHI: Decoding the 'mystery' behind Maoists, the Centre has for the first time brought out in openmany facts that have hitherto remained in official papers and urged aam aadmis to expose true colours ofRed rebels in whatever ways they can, including use of social media like Facebook and twitter. In adocument, brought out in the form of frequently asked questions (FAQs) last week, the Union homeministry has classified naxal-hit states into three categories in terms of intensity of the problem and triedto answer a range of nagging queries like presence of women naxal cadres, Maoists' organizationalstructure and the rebels' motive behind destroying schools. Classifying the Maoist-affected states, theministry puts four states - Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, Odisha and Bihar - under the category of 'severelyaffected', followed by two - West Bengal and Maharashtra - under 'partially affected' and two others -Uttar Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh - in the 'slightly affected' bracket. It claims that there is a majorimprovement in Andhra Pradesh that was earlier considered 'severely affected'. But, Maoists' area ofinfluence is not restricted to these nine states. The ministry points out that some armed cadres of CPI(Maoist) - the largest and most violent naxal group - exist in Karnataka, and they are making incursionsinto Assam and Arunachal Pradesh that has serious long-term strategic ramifications. In the six-pagedocument, the ministry highlights that Maoists' front organizations are active in 20 states to push ultras'agenda to capture state power through "a combination of armed insurgency, mass mobilization andstrategic alliances". It also points out that the Red ultras also express their solidarity with the J&K terroristgroups as part of their "Strategic United Front" against Indian state. "The issue of Maoists' growinginfluence and the measures being taken by government will be discussed in a meeting of directorgenerals of police and chief secretaries of eight states here on Wednesday," said an official. He said thetop officials would fine-tune coordination among state police and central police forces and firm up astrategy on how to go after the ultras, who often flee from one state to another after committing a crime.The document explains that Maoists have large number of women cadres because "many poor adivasiparents (faced with coercion and threats) prefer to part with girl child" in Chhattisgarh and Jharkhand."This inhuman practice by Maoists is the reason behind large number of young girls\women being presentamong the Maoist cadres. They are also pushed to the forefront of engagements with the security forces,"says the document. It also says the much-hyped 'Operation Greenhunt' (against Maoists) does not existin any record of the home ministry. It explains that the term 'Operation Greenhunt' was used by a BastarSP in Chhattisgarh for a local operation, but the Maoist propagandists and front organizations, in amasterly strategy, attributed it ad nauseam, to the Central government, conjuring up visions of haplesstribals being targeted by the government machinery. The paper says Maoists had killed as many as 5,467civilians and destroyed 281 schools from 2001 to 2011. The ministry believes that the schools areattacked by ultras because they don't want tribals to join the mainstream through education that promotesa spirit of enquiry among local population. (Times of India 21/2/12)Centre evolving uniform surrender policy for Naxal-hit States (12)NEW DELHI, February 23, 2012: In a bid to motivate Maoists to join the mainstream, the government islikely to come up with a new uniform surrender policy for all Left Wing Extremism-affected States, offeringRs. 5 lakh to anyone laying down a Light Machine Gun (LMG) and Rs. 3 lakh to those depositing an AK-47 assault rifle. The issue was discussed at a meeting of Chief Secretaries and Directors- General ofPolice of the Naxal-affected States here on Wednesday. The meeting was presided over by Union HomeMinister P. Chidambaram. At present, different State governments follow different surrender policies andsurrender packages that include varying financial incentives. The policy, announced by the Home Ministry

last year, offers an incentive of Rs. 15,000 for each deposited AK 47/56/74 rifle, Rs. 25,000 for eachRocket Propelled Grenade/sniper rifle and Rs. 3,000 for a pistol or revolver. “There is need to review theexisting surrender policy with bigger financial incentives. States have been asked to enhance the moneywhile the Centre will also provide funds. We want uniformity for all States,” a senior Home Ministry officialsaid. At the meeting, States and paramilitary forces were asked to take all possible steps to ensureprotection of human rights of every individual while carrying out anti-Maoist operations and counteringNaxals' negative propaganda. The Home Ministry also asked the States to conduct a thorough probe intoallegations of abuse of power by security forces and follow Standard Operating Procedure while dealingwith Naxals. The meeting took stock of the anti-Naxal operations as well as the development programmesbeing initiated in the Maoist-hit areas. There was concern in the Union government that many States werenot able to complete many of the centrally-sponsored schemes, especially the road projects, despiteprovision of required funds by the Home Ministry. The Home Ministry also indicated that it was keen onextending the Integrated Action Plan (IAP) being implemented in 78 worst Naxal-affected districts. ChiefSecretaries and DGPs or their representatives of Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, Bihar, Orissa, West Bengal,Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh attended the meeting. (The Hindu23/2/12)“Maoist movement will continue until socio-economic problems are addressed” (12)NEW DELHI, February 24, 2012: The Maoist movement in India is unlikely to succeed, but it will continueto regurgitate and find support until the basic socio-economic problems of the ordinary people areaddressed, said speakers at a panel discussion here on Thursday over the issue of the Naxals and theiradherence to the Mao sentiments in India. The genesis of the Maoist movement in India, its ramificationsand what it means for the country's internal security, values of democracy and development, should itcontinue into the future; were part of the discussion hosted at the Nehru Memorial Museum and Library .These issues have been raised in the anthology ‘More than Maoism: Politics, Policies and Insurgencies inSouth Asia', edited by members of the Institute of South Asian Studies, Singapore, released recently. Thebook is an outcome of the general curiosity about the Maoist movement in India and attempts to answerthe basic questions about the movement's resurgence in the country and its continued presence, saidRobin Jeffery, co-editor of the anthology and Visiting Research Professor at the Institute of South AsianStudies and Asian Research Institute, National University of Singapore. “After the April 2010 Maoistattack that killed 76 policemen in Chattisgarh, Chinese in Singapore wanted to know why so many yearsafter Chairman Mao was dead, has the movement popped up in India,” he said, recounting the ideabehind the anthology. Unkempt promises to the masses, failure to secure education, health and sanitationto the rural poor and the marginalised, are perceived to be the reasons for the emergence of themovement in India, he said, but it is now important to come up with solutions to the problems and toascertain how these promise can be kept, given the difficult situation. He said to tackle the problem; thegovernment will have to act on all fronts, from providing good local government to conducting fair and freeelections. Former Director-General of Uttar Pradesh Police and commander of the Border Security ForcePrakash Singh, who has also authored the book ‘The Naxalite Movement in India', said while he believesthat the movement has no future, the “Naxalbaris” will continue. “The question that bothers people is howthe movement kept on erupting after being put down by the armed might of the Indian State. In 1967, in1980s it was put out, and now we are in the third phase of the movement,” he said. Referring to thereasons for its presence, he said while the government claims that they have addressed the issues ofpoverty, unemployment, displacement of the tribals [issues that are responsible for Naxalism], the truth isthat they are being addressed only on paper. Mr. Singh said the Maoists pose an imminent threat to thesecurity of the country because of their links with terror groups in Jammu and Kashmir, ISI and theChinese. “They are anti- democracy and anti-development,” he pointed out. Sharing his experiences andperspective, Suvojit Bagchi, a correspondent with the BBC World Service who has contributed to theanthology, said the Naxals have been able to integrate with the locals and unlike what the perception isthey are not coerced into offering support to the movement. “It is a human story. The integration with thelocal people is tremendous and it is incorrect to say that they have been controlling the people throughguns,” he said. Noted journalist Sumanta Banerjee, who is the author of the widely acclaimed book ‘In theWake of Naxalbari', said the Maoists should not be seen as some kind of a Robin Hood figure, not asphilanthropists and not even a extortionists. “Maoists and Naxalites will continue in the country. I don'tthink they can implement Maoism in the country, but will remain catalytic agents. And until the basicsocio-economic system in India changes, the movement will continue to rise like a phoenix. There will be

newer flash points, like mining operations, dislocation of tribals,” he cautioned. (The Hindu 24/2/12)Rs 120 crore to Naxal-hit states for building 400 police stations (12)New Delhi, February 26, 2012: Centre will be releasing the first instalment of Rs 120 crore forconstruction of 400 fortified police stations, mostly in Naxal-hit areas of these States. As part of a decisionof the Cabinet Committee on Security, the Home Ministry has identified 83 worst Naxal-hit districts toconstruct or strengthen 400 fortified police stations at a cost of Rs 2 crore each. The Ministry hasreleased Rs 120 crore — Rs 30 lakh each — as first supplementary grant for incurring expenditure onthese police stations located in nine Left-wing extremism affected States. The States which will bebenefited most are Bihar (85 police stations), Chhattisgarh (75), Jharkhand (75), Odisha (70), WestBengal (18) and Madhya Pradesh (12). The remaining of the 400 police stations, 40 will be constructed inAndhra Pradesh, 15 in Uttar Pradesh and 10 in Maharashtra. Under the scheme, the Centre would assistthe state government on 80:20 basis — 80 per cent of the cost to be borne by the Centre while remaining20 per cent by the State. The State government will ensure a minimum strength of 40 police personnel ismaintained in each of these police stations. The level of violence in Naxal-affected States is stillunacceptably high with 447 civilians and 142 security personnel killed in 2011. Apart from variousCentrally-sponsored schemes, the Union government is implementing the special Integrated Action Planin 78 worst Maoist-hit districts to carry out different development programmes. Under the IAP, thegovernment sanctioned Rs 25 crore in 2010-11 and Rs 30 crore in 2011-12 to each of these districtsthrough which 63,416 projects were set up and 26,593 projects completed, incurring an expenditure of Rs1,391 crore till 2011. The funds for the project are placed at the disposal of a committee headed by thedistrict collector to oversee its implementation. Among the projects undertaken under IAP scheme,providing drinking water, sanitation and electricity facilities together account for nearly 30 per cent of theprojects. Setting up of school infrastructure accounts 16 per cent of the fund and anganwadi centres, 13.5per cent. (The Hindu 26/2/12)Bus attacked in Maoist zone, one abducted (12)KOLKATA: One of the passengers on board a bus was abducted and two others injured when a group ofarmed men launched an attack in the State's Maoist-affected Paschim Medinipur district on Sunday.However, the police is yet to ascertain whether the attack was carried out by Maoists or by a group ofrobbers. The incident occurred near the Lodhasuli forest area in the Jhargram police thana area of thedistrict. The attackers opened fire on the bus, stopped it and then abducted one of the passengers. Twopassengers resisted and were shot, police sources said. The two injured passengers were immediatelyrushed to a hospital in Jhargram town where they are undergoing treatment, they added. Although theforest area is well within the Maoist-affected Jangalmahal region, the police said that armed robbers arealso known to operate in the area. (The Hindu 27/2/12)Hunger strike in support of Sori (12)NEW DELHI, March 1, 2012: Demanding immediate medical care for Chhattisgarh primary school teacherSoni Sori, women's groups and rights activists sat on a day-long hunger strike at Raj Ghat here onWednesday. The police in the Central Indian State have alleged that Ms. Sori was involved in thechannelling of funds from a multi-national company to the Communist Part of India (Maoist). Activistsalleged that the Adivasi school teachers was “sexually tortured by the Chhattisgarh police.” Though aDantewada sessions court has ordered the Superintendent of Raipur Jail on February 27 to ensure thatshe gets medical check-up in Raipur, this hasn't reassured the activists. The protesters on Wednesdaydemanded that prompt and proper medical care be arranged for Ms. Sori. They also sought punitiveaction against police officers involved in her custodial torture. Activists said that in a letter written from jailto them, Ms. Sori wrote: “There are many other women prisoners suffering in this jail (Dantewada).Around 60 women prisoners are here. They tell me that they were not able to fight back because therewas no one to support them…We, Adivasis, are only fated to suffer atrocities and die….The more theChhattisgarh Government will exploit us, oppress us, commit atrocities against us, torture us, rape ourwomen, mercilessly strip us naked, the more the Government will profit.” (The Hindu 1/3/12)Maoist movement startled with RK's arrest (12)KARIMNAGAR, March 3, 2012: The Maoists movement received a rude shock with the arrest ofSaadanala Ramakrishna alias RK, the Maoists' central technical committee member, resident of

Anthakkapet village of Husnabad mandal along with four others in West Bengal State on Thursday.Ramakrishna is the eldest son of Saadanala Venkataiah and Ramakka. He has three sisters and abrother. He completed his B. Tech from Warangal REC and later, M. Tech from Osmania University. Heworked with BHEL for some time and later joined the State government sector in the Panchayat RajEngineering Department. He was instrumental in sanctioning a protected water supply scheme to hisnative Anthakkapeta village during his time. RK, who is known for his technical skills and involvement inseveral major operations, joined the Maoists movement in 1983 and went underground in 1985. Sincethen, he has not returned to his native village or seen his parents, not even when they died. Incidentally,Ramakrishna has been involved in offences in Karimnagar district. Police sources say that RK's expertiselay in the technical field and he guided cadres to conduct offences. (The Hindu 3/3/12)Opinions differ on tackling panchayats won by Naxalites (12)NEW DELHI, March 4, 2012: The Union Ministries of Rural Development and Home Affairs don't see eyeto eye on how to tackle the situation in Odisha where the banned CPI (Maoists) have captured severalgram panchayats in areas of their domination in the recent elections held to the local bodies. Apparentlyconcerned, the Home Ministry has taken a tough stand writing to the Odisha Government suggesting thatthese elections be countermanded and directing the Rural Development Ministry to stop funds to thesegram panchayats. The suggestion to the Odisha Government to have the elections countermanded willhave to be decided by the State Election Commission, according to official sources here. The HomeSecretary wrote to his counterpart in the Rural Development Ministry to withhold all rural funds to thesepanchayats immediately fearing that these would be passed on to the Maoists. Rural DevelopmentSecretary is said to have explained that only Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment GuaranteeScheme funds were directly utilised by the gram panchayats and that the mukhiyas (or heads) did notenjoy unfettered powers to release funds as several government functionaries are required to besignatories to the allocation. The Rural Development Ministry has suggested that instead of stoppingfunds, the better approach would be to have stricter controls with special audit mechanism and to use theopportunity to get the misguided people into the mainstream. This is in keeping with the stand taken by itsMinister Jairam Ramesh who has always underlined the need to involve the people and initiate a politicalprocess to solve the problem which the police alone could not be expected to resolve in the long run.Officials in the Rural Development Ministry pointed out instances of States winning over the militants inPunjab, Mizoram, Assam and Tripura and giving them a place in the system. (The Hindu 4/3/12)‘Political thrust neededin implementing IAP' (12)NEW DELHI, March 5, 2012: Union Minister of Rural Development Jairam Ramesh has suggested aparadigm shift in the implementation of the Integrated Action Plan (IAP) in 78 Left wing affected (LWE)districts to give a political thrust to combat Naxalism in these regions. Mr. Ramesh has suggested to thePlanning Commission implementation of a restructured IAP during the 12th Five-Year Plan for betterimpact and for achieving the objective of weakening the hold of the Communist Party of India (Maoist) inthese areas. Mr. Ramesh's suggestion to Deputy Chairman of the Planning Commission Montek SinghAhluwalia is to hand over the responsibility of coordination and implementation to the Ministry ofPanchayati Raj. (At present the Ministry of Rural Development is shouldering this responsibility.) Mr.Ramesh argued that this was the only way to ensure a strong political and civil society constituency in theoperation of the IAP and wrest it out of the bureaucratic control of three officers of the district — theMagistrate, the Superintendent of Police and the Forest Officer. Mr. Ramesh has called for greaterpolitical participation in selection of villages and the works to be carried out. The absence of the politicalclass has given the Naxalites a free run in these regions. He has also opposed uniform coverage of all 78districts, stressing that only 20 of these were acutely affected by Naxalism. He underscored the futility oftreating the selected districts, barring Balaghat, in Madhya Pradesh on a par with the targeted ones inChhattisgarh where Maoism was deeply entrenched. Mr. Ramesh prescribed considering blocks as a unitfor addressing the problems better. (The Hindu 5/3/12)4 Maoists felled in mine encounter (12)Ranchi, March 5: The encounter took place around 11.45pm at the Ashoka Project site of CentralCoalfields Limited, about 40km from the state capital in Piparwar police station area. The shootout startedwhen a group of around 150 Maoist rebels armed with sophisticated weapons struck a Central IndustrialSecurity Force (CISF) camp after setting on fire 15 dumpers and two other vehicles. “After the Maoists

opened fire on the CISF camp, around 30 constables present at the site retaliated. Though the securitymen were outnumbered, they held out for an hour till state police reinforcements arrived and the rebelswere forced to retreat,” a local resident said. Inspector-general and police spokesperson Raj KumarMallick confirmed the incident and said though four Maoists had been killed, the bodies of only two alongwith their firearms had been recovered. “The other two bodies have either been taken away by theMaoists or have been dumped somewhere in the forest. We are searching for them,” he said. Mallickmaintained that the success was the result of police alertness. “We had inputs about the presence ofMaoists in the area for the last 15 days. On the basis of inputs, instructions had been given to all picketsand police stations in the area. Finally alertness yielded result,” he said. The two rebels whose bodieswere recovered have been identified as Tapeshwar Ganjhu of Chandwa in Latehar district and Anil Ramof Panki in Palamau district, sources said. Apart from two firearms, 300 live cartridges, one walky-talkyand a powerful can bomb were also recovered. CISF jawan Praveen Tuti sustained minor injuries in theencounter. He was referred to Rajendra Institute of Medical Sciences (RIMS) for treatment, where he wasstated to be out of danger. Ashoka Project is an open cast mining site of CCL. It produces coal by usingthe latest “surface miner” technology. Sunday night’s incident affected production at the site and CCLsources said a team of officers led by director personnel R.R. Mishra had left for the spot to assess thedamage. (The Telegraph 6/3/12)People in naxal-hit area feel neglected by political parties (12)Eedu (Udupi District), March 9, 2012: People in the naxal-affected village of Eedu, about 65 km fromUdupi, are a distraught lot as they feel the development promised by the political parties has not reachedthem. It was in Eedu village that the first encounter between the police and the naxals in the State tookplace on November 17, 2003, resulting in the death of two suspected naxals. Nine years after theencounter, people feel that little has changed in the village despite the assurances made by thepoliticians. Their major demand for a bridge across the Suvarna rivulet, asphalted roads and storm-waterdrains remains unfulfilled. They do not expect the by-poll to the Udupi-Chikmagalur parliamentaryconstituency to change their fortunes. Appi Poojarti, in whose house the 2003 encounter took place, saidthat all political leaders had, after the encounter, made all kinds of promises to her family but had notfulfilled any. “Our house has become weak. We are now building new houses after taking loans. Therehas been little development in our village. I will vote in the by-poll only if I feel like it,” she said. SureshHegde, a farmer who owns three acres of land on which he grows paddy, arecanut and coconut, said thatan asphalted road and a bridge across the Suvarna were essential. “A few months ago, one of myrelatives injured his left leg and we had to carry him till we could take him to a “pucca” road from where hewas taken by a two-wheeler to a hospital. Imagine the difficulty during a medical emergency,” he said. Hiswife, Lata Hegde, said that the four storm-water drains constructed on the “kacha road” connecting thehamlet of Bolletu in Eedu were deteriorating. “The construction work is poor,” she said. Jyoti Shankar, ananganwadi teacher, said that the Suvarna rivulet was full of water for nearly nine months and it was notpossible to cross it by foot. It was only during the summer that the school-going children and other peoplecould cross it by foot. “Otherwise, I and the school-going children have to take a circuitous route walkingfor over 30 minutes to reach the anganwadi and school. If a bridge is constructed, we can reach ourdestinations in five minutes. We are forced to store food items and other requirements of the angwandi ina nearby house,” Ms. Shankar said. Sundari Nalke, homemaker, said that due to the heavy rain anddifficulty in crossing the rivulet, students missed their classes, especially during the monsoon. LinguNalke, an 85-year-old farmer, said: “There has not been much development in this region. We requiredevelopment. I have always voted for the Congress and will vote for it again in the by-poll.” ShashikanthPoojary, a farmer, who grows paddy, arecanut, coconut and vegetables in his two-acre field, said that theBharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leaders had promised to construct an asphalted road, but had not fulfilled it.“Still I will support BJP this time,” he said. (The Hindu 9/3/12)Maoist leader alleges torture in police custody (12)KOLKATA, March 15, 2012: Even as the city police have moved charges against him and four othersunder the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act (UAPA), 2008, Sadanala Ramakrishna, head of the centraltechnical committee of the Communist Party of India (Maoist), submitted before the Court that he andothers were being tortured in police custody and had also been forced to sign blank sheets of paper.Urging the court to hear his grievances, Ramakrishna said he had suffered injuries on his hands and feet,

while Deepak Kumar — another accused said to be resident of Chhattisgarh — had beet hit on his earduring the interrogation. Ramakrishna said he never possessed the amount of money that the police haveclaimed to have seized from him. Defence counsel prayed for the constitution of a medical board toascertain injuries on the accused. (The Hindu 15/3/12)‘Security forces harassing tribal people' (12)BHUBANESWAR, March 17, 2012: Tribal activists from Kashipur area of Rayagada district have allegedthat the Central paramilitary forces deployed in their region were harassing innocent tribal men andwomen in the name of countering Maoist activities. The paramilitary forces should be withdrawn from thearea to restore normalcy, they demanded. Thousands of people in the villages under Kashipur Block ofRayagada and adjacent Lakshmipur Block of Koraput districts were living under fear of being harassed bythe gun-toting security personnel who were entering villages in the name of combing operation, allegedBhagaban Majhi, convenor of the Kashipur-based Prakrutika Sampad Suraksha Parishad (PSSP).Talking to The Hindu in Bhubaneswar on Friday, Mr. Majhi alleged that the paramilitary forces had pickedup Jaga Majhi, an innocent tribal man from Barigaon village from a weekly haat at Sankarada on March13. The police had made false claims that Jaga Majhi was a Maoist and had surrendered before them,Mr. Majhi said. Such has become the situation that tribal men and women were not stepping out of theirhomes apprehending harassment at the hands of the Central forces deployed in the area, said Majhi.“When we had nothing to do with the Maoists, intelligence officials working in our area are now telling usto keep away from Maoists or else Basangmali like incidents will occur and we will lose our lives for noreason,” said Majhi. It was at Basangmali that nine persons were killed by the security personnel inJanuary last year. Mr. Majhi said PSSP had been continuing its movement against bauxite mining andestablishment of an alumina refinery in Kashipur area for the past 18 years and never ever they were theywere treated as Maoist sympathisers as they were being treated by the paramilitary forces during the pastone year. Another tribal activist, Nabin Nayak alleged that the Central force personnel had gang-raped atleast four women in the area during the past one year period, but local police had not registered any casesaying that they cannot do anything in such matters. Stating that the Central forces had beat up at least17 tribal men in Barigaon village and another three persons in Karajola village during a combing operationon March 10, Mr. Nayak said the livelihood of the tribal people in the region had been badly hit as they didnot dare to enter forests to collect produce due to fear of the security personnel on the move. Both Mr.Majhi and Mr. Nayak demanded that the paramilitary forces be withdrawn from the area to allow theinnocent tribal people live in peace. The government seems to be working to protect the interest of privatecompanied that have arrived in the area to set up alumina refineries than protecting the interests of thetribals, they alleged. (The Hindu 17/3/12)Maoist eye on girls trained by CRPF (12)CHAIBASA (Jharkhand): The Saranda forest area in Jharkhand's West Singbhum gets very quiet at night.Sometimes the silence is broken by the rustle of dry leaves crushed under the stealthy footsteps ofMaoists. It was this sound that terrified S Guria's father - because when the twigs cracked, the sound wasalmost always accompanied by the urgent voices of rebels looking for young volunteers. Guria was about14 when a group of armed men came to her house at Digha, a remote village on the fringes of the thickforest. "They were from the jungle party (CPI-Maoist)," she says, her tiny voice barely audible. "Theywanted me to join them." Her father sought time to think it over and the Maoists, as usual, promised toreturn soon. He knew in his heart that the men would come back to claim his girl in the name ofrevolution. Then one day, about three months back, something happened that changed Guria's life. TheCRPF had just begun a training camp for tribal girls, something that equipped them to be guards atschools and security personnel at a clutch of private institutions, and women from Sahyog, an NGO, hadcome around encouraging the teenagers to join in. Guria had signed up quickly then. There was noescape, though, from fear. "They (the Maoists) will torture my family if they know I trained with the CRPF,"says R Kerketta, an 18-year-old girl who took the same route Guria did and now shares an identicalagony. Returning to their village isn't an option. The Maoists would only be too glad to recruit trainedwomen who can double up as cooks for them. As A Ekka, 22, who has now found a job in Ranchi with thehelp of the CRPF's partner NGO Bharatiya Kisan Sangh (BKS), says, "It's safe in the city. But how longcan we hide." The training itself has been a surprising success. There are currently 35 girls in the CRPF'sChaibasa camp, intently spending their days doing various drills and physical exercises, learning roadtraffic rules and elementary Hindi and English. They are also getting computer-literate and being taught

how to handle money, maintain records, and get to know a bit about the law. D K Pandey, CRPFinspector-general in Jharkhand, says, "Naxalism cannot be fought with bullets alone. So we decided tohelp villagers by equipping them with skills that would enable them earn a decent living." ProjectRupantaran, adds Lal Chand Yadav, commandant, CRPF 197 Battalion, is aimed to do just that. Ofcourse, activists like G N Saibaba of the Revolutionary Democratic Front aren't convinced. SlammingProject Rupantaran, he says, "This is camouflage (tactic) by the security forces. The Indian state hasalways said something and done something else. That's why tribals rejected the Indian state. These girlsare being trained for use as canon fodder. The security forces will later use them to kill other tribals." Forthe 36,500 people, mostly Ho tribals, in the 56 villages of Saranda - which is about 900 sq km of denseSal forests in the Orissa-Jharkhand-Chhattisgarh trijunction -- the project was meant to be a balm forpeople caught in the crossfire between the Maoists and security forces. But they are the ones in themiddle now. While the rebels allege untold human rights violation, officers, like DIG Bhanu Pratap Singhof the CRPF's Chaibasa range, say the patch was the headquarters of the Maoists' eastern regionalbureau. Even Union rural development minister Jairam Ramesh, effusive about "transformation" of themilitant bastion into a government showpiece, had said last October that it was after 11 years the IndianTricolour was unfurled in Saranda. (Times of India 18/3/12)Naxals abduct two Italians in Odisha (12)Raipur, March 18: Maoist rebels have kidnapped two Italian tourists in Odisha, police said Sunday, inwhat was believed to be the first abduction of foreigners by the left-wing militants. Reports said thekidnappers issued 13 demands for the release of the Italians, including the release an unspecifiednumber of prisoners and an end to the drive to root out extremism from the region. The abductionoccurred on Wednesday in Kandhamal district in Odisha, police said. “Maoists have abducted two ItalianThe Italian Foreign Office in Rome identified the kidnap victims as Paolo Bosusco and Claudio Colangelo.Mr Bosusco had been living in Puri for a decade and was running an adventure tourism company, policesaid. Mr Sharma said the men asked police on Monday to be allowed to travel around Kandhamal, butauthorities denied permission, citing risks of Maoist violence. “After that the two men and their Indianassistants were found roaming in these areas and on Wednesday. While they were taking bath near acoffee plantation, Maoists abducted them,” Mr Sharma said. Mr Sharma said the militants freed the Indianhostages on Sunday morning unconditionally. An Italian Foreign Ministry spokesman said authorities had“immediately activated a crisis unit” which was in contact with its consulate in Kolkata. The consulate isworking with local police on the ground. The men's families have been informed, the spokesman said. MrAjai Sahni, executive director of the Institute for Conflict Management in New Delhi agreed this was thefirst time the rebels had kidnapped foreigners. “It is not clear yet if this is a rogue operation by a maverickleader or if it is a strategic move by the central Maoist authority,” Mr Sahni told AFP. “Maoists havesuffered tremendous attrition of leadership in recent years, so this presents an opportunity to get some oftheir leaders out of jail.” The Odisha Chief Minister, Mr Naveen Patnaik, today appealed to the Maoists torelease the two abducted Italian tourists and said that the government was open to “any kind ofnegotiation under the law.” “I appeal to the Left-wing extremists to immediately release the foreign touristson humanitarian ground. Odisha government is open to any kind of negotiation with the kidnappers underthe law,” he said. (Business Line 19/3/12)Odisha hostage: Agnivesh offers to mediate (12)Bhubaneswar, Mar 19 : Social activist Swami Agnivesh offered to mediate between Maoists and theOdisha government as the hostage crisis in the state continued on Monday with the rebels keeping intheir captivity two Italian nationals they had abducted on March 14 from Kandhamal and Ganjam districts'border. Urging Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik to take an 'active role' in the negotiation process,Agnivesh said he is ready to mediate between the Maoists and the government for the release of theItalians. Meanwhile, Patnaik said his government is willing to negotiate with the Maoists. He has appealedto the abductors to release the hostages and said he is ready for discussions. His home secretary U NBehera said they have not yet heard anything from the Maoists formally. Behera said the hostages-Boscusco Polo and Clandio Colangilo- are safe. The rebels have demanded immediate halt in anoperation against them and release of their members from the jail. Odisha officials said the kidnappingtook place on Saturday night, but one of the locals working with the Italians said the incident occurred onMar 14. One of the abducted Italians is Boscusco Polo who is visiting India for 19 years now. He runs a

tourism company based out of Puri which take visitors on tribal tours. The other person has beenidentified as Clandio Colangilo who was on a trekking tour. Top Maoist leader in the state SabyasachiPanda announced that they would release the hostages only after the stopped an operation against themand start talks. An audio tape was also sent to the media houses by the Maoists. India's external affairsministry is also in touch with Italy over the kidnapping. Italian Consul General Joel Melchiori is inBhubaneswar. "Hopefully they will be rescued," he said. The Maoists in their audio tape said the touroperators and tourists treat the tribal women like monkeys and take their objectionable photographs.(IBNS) (New Kerala 20/3/12)Maoists kidnap Odisha MLA (12)Bhubaneswar, March 24: Maoists kidnapped a ruling Biju Janata Dal MLA late last night from Odisha’sKoraput district, spawning theories ranging from a faction fight to a rebel policy shift to tactical abductionsof VIPs. The kidnapping of Jhina Hikaka, 35, came days after the abduction of two Italians fromKandhamal district, apparently by a rival Maoist faction. It led to immediate suspension of talks betweenthe state government and the rebels’ chosen mediators for the release of the Italians. Late tonight,television reports said the Italians had been freed following an appeal from the mediators but officials saidthey were awaiting confirmation. Hikaka was abducted from his car by a group of some 80 armed rebelsin the jungles of Toyaput, about 600km from Bhubaneswar, shortly after midnight while returning homefrom a political trip. Intelligence sources suggested the abduction was a fallout of rivalry between theMaoists’ Telugu-dominated Andhra-Odisha border zonal committee and the state organising committee,headed by Odiya rebel Sabyasachi Panda. ( ) They suspect the border committee kidnapped Hikaka toprove it was stronger than Panda’s faction, which allegedly abducted the Italians, and to embarrass therival by sabotaging its hostage talks with the government. Sources said the MLA had gone to Semiligudato discuss the election of the Koraput zilla parishad vice-president and was returning home ignoring agovernment advisory against road travel at night in rebel zones. Nor had he informed the police of histravels in advance, as advised. Hikaka’s driver Ugrasen said the rebels spoke in Telugu and Kui, a tribaldialect. “They stopped our car where the road had been dug up. They asked the MLA who he was andwhy he was there. They took him away after he told them, leaving me and his personal security officerbehind.” Police sources said it was too early to say whether the rebels were unaware who Hikaka waswhen they stopped him and had dug up the road merely looking to abduct somebody. However, the ideathat it was an opportunistic kidnapping, spawned by a faction fight, would relieve the Centre, which isworried about a more sinister possibility: a Maoist policy of “tactical abductions” of VIPs to push the stateon the back-foot politically and operationally. The Centre is not ruling out a faction fight but sources inDelhi said that reports of a rift between Panda and the Telugu leaders had been circulating since 2007. “Ifthere were serious differences, would they tolerate him for five years?” a security analyst asked.Traditionally, the Maoists have carried out abductions not as a war strategy but only to get leadersreleased from jail. Security agencies said that in case the rebels were thinking of kidnapping prominentpeople, the best response would be for the state government to mobilise ordinary people to organisestreet protests against the abductions. Odisha officials, though, insisted on the faction theory, citing howthe incident had come just a day after the Maoists killed a police officer in Malkangiri, violating the“unilateral ceasefire” declared by Panda to facilitate the hostage talks. The killing too is being blamed onthe border committee. The abductors are suspected to be members of the Maoists’ Srikakulam-Koraputdivisional committee, headed by Daya, who is close to the Andhra leaders. The committee had called anationwide bandh today demanding suspension of the so-called Operation Green Hunt. State homesecretary U.N. Behera said the two-day-old hostage talks were suspended on the advice of the Maoists’interlocutors: rights activists B.D. Sharma and Dandpani Mohanty. In a joint statement, the interlocutorssaid the kidnapping of Hikaka and the police officer’s killing had made a mockery of the “peacefulnegotiations” and appealed to the Maoists to release the two Italians and Hikaka. Chief minister NaveenPatnaik, who spoke to Union home minister P. Chidambaram and Hikaka’s wife Kaushalya, sent seniorministers Surya Narayan Patro and Lal Behari Himirika to Laxmipur by helicopter. Kaushalya, who lastspoke to her husband an hour before the rebels stopped his car, appealed for his release saying he hadalways worked for the local tribals’ welfare. Hikaka had defeated the Congress’s Hema Gamang, wife offormer chief minister Giridhar Gamang, in the 2009 state polls. Protesting the kidnapping, Oppositionmembers refused to budge from the Assembly, saying they would continue to sit there till the Housereopened on Monday. (Telegraph 25/3/12)

Koraput (Odisha), April 3, 2012: In the wake of two back-to-back abductions in Odisha, a complete banhas been imposed on the entry of foreign nationals and tourists into the Maoist-hit Koraput district. Thedistrict administration’s ban follows abduction of two Italian tourists and an MLA by the Maoists in thestate. District collector Sachin Jadhav has communicated this through a letter sent to all tour operators,official sources said on Tuesday. The letter said, “The administration will reassess the security situationand take a call on the issue of regulating movement of foreign nationals and tourists in the district eitherway. Till that time no permission will be issued to foreign nationals and tourists to visit any part of thedistrict.” Last week, the Rayagada district administration had imposed similar restrictions on the entry ofall foreign tourists into the tribal-dominated district. (The Hindu 3/4/12)Maoists fix Thursday deadline for Odisha government (12)BHUBANESWAR, April 4, 2012: The Maoists on Tuesday fixed April 5 as the deadline for the NaveenPatnaik government to fulfil their demands to secure the release of ruling Biju Janata Dal legislator JhinaHikaka who was kidnapped on March 24. Rejecting Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik's invitation for holdingnegotiation, the Andhra Odisha Border Special Zonal Committee of the outlawed CPI (Maoist) demandedthat the government should release tribal people, including the members of Chasi Mulia Adivasi Sangha,who had been jailed for their alleged Maoist activities. The government should accept the demandswithout playing delaying tactics, they said. Meanwhile, in another letter that was received by media inKoraput along with a letter from the Maoists, Mr. Hikaka reiterated his appeal to the Chief Minister to fulfilthe Maoists' demands to release the innocent tribals for his safe release. In a hand written letter, Mr.Hikaka said that the government was not concerned about his life as he was a tribal. Urging the ChiefMinister to resolve the issue immediately to enable him work for the welfare of the people of hisconstituency, Mr. Hikaka said that if needed he would resign from his post as legislator. On the otherhand, the negotiation for the release of Italian tour operator Bosusco Paolo was scheduled to continue onWednesday. Mr. Paolo has been in the hands of a different group of Maoists since March 14. The Stategovernment resumed the talks for Mr. Paolo's release on Monday after the Odisha State OrganisingCommittee of the CPI (Maoist) blamed it for playing delaying tactics and not accepting their demands.Meanwhile, the State government faced severe criticism from the Opposition legislators in the StateAssembly for not taking the required steps for Mr. Hikaka's release. The 37-year-old tribal legislator waskidnapped while he was returning from Koraput town to his home in his constituency Laxmipur. Thegovernment has so far not been to hold negotiation for his release as the Maoists expressed theirunwillingness in this regard and said that the legislator would be released only when their demands werefulfilled. (The Hindu 4/4/12)Hostage crisis: Odisha to release 27 prisoners (12)Bhubaneswar, April 4 : The Odisha government has decided to facilitate the release of 27 prisoners,including eight Maoists, to secure the release of an Italian tourist and a legislator, Chief Minister NaveenPatnaik said Wednesday. The Maoists have held hostage Italian tour operator Bosusco Paolo and BijuJanata Dal legislator Jhina Hikaka since March 14 and March 24, respectively. Paolo was abducted withanother Italian, Claudio Colangelo, 61, from a forested area on the border of Ganjam and Kandhamaldistricts. The rebels March 25 released Colangelo as a "goodwill gesture" but kept Paolo, 54 insisting thegovernment to fulfil their demands. "Considering the safety of Jhina Hikaka, the young tribal MLA ofLaxmipur, it has been decided by the state government to facilitate the release of 15 members of ChasiMulia Adibasi Sangha and also eight left wing extremists who are now lodged in jails," Patnaik toldreporters. "Further, considering the demands of the Odisha state organizing committee of the CPI-Maoistfor the Italian national, who was abducted in the Kandhamal district, it has been decided to facilitate therelease of four persons from the list given by the mediators for the Maoists," he added. After theannouncement, Patnaik also appealed to the Maoists to immediately release both the hostagesunharmed and in good health. While the Italian was abducted by the Odisha unit of the Communist Partyof India-Maoist (CPI-Maoist) from Kandhamal district, the legislature was kidnapped by the Andhra-Odisha border special zonal committee from Koraput district. The group responsible for kidnapping theItalian insisted the government fulfill 13 demands, including a ban on the visit of tourists to tribal areas, ahalt to anti-Maoist operations and the release of several under-trial prisoners. Two negotiators backed bythem were holding talks with the state government for the past several days on the Maoist's demands.The legislator’s abductors were demanding the release of several activists of the Chasi Mulia AdivasiSangh (CMAS) who they say have been booked on false charges in Koraput and Malkangiri districts. The

legislator’s abductors had Tuesday refused to appoint any mediator for talks and had set a Thursdaydeadline for the government to decide on their demands. Although the decision to release the prisonersmany bring an end to the weeks-long hostage crisis, the Maoists have, however, not yet responded to thechief minister's announcement. (IANS) (New Kerala 5/4/12)Maoists demand release of 30 prisoners in exchange of abducted MLA (12)Bhubaneswar, Apr 11 : A day after the expiry of deadline, the Andhra Odisha Border Special ZonalCommittee (AOBSZC) of the CPI(Maoist) today asserted that abducted BJD MLA Jhina Hikaka will befreed only after the state government released all the 30 prisoners named by it. In a three-page letterwritten in Telugu and circulated to the media today, Maoist leader Jagabandhu of the AOBSZC said theMLA will be presented before the Praja court and whatever the court decides would be carried out. TheMaoist leader condemned the state government for using the Police Association which has issued athreat to withdraw the police personnel in the anti naxal operation if hardcore Maoists were released inexchange of the BJD MLA and the Italian national. " We have asked to release 30 prisoners and takeaway the MLA but the state government did nothing and instead used the Police Officers Association toissue a statement that Cheda Bhusanama, whose name was given by us, was a hardcore Maoist andinvolved in killing of more than 55 security personnel,landmine explosion and attack on police stations,"Jagabandhu said. The Maoist leader said the demands put forth by them were justified and clarified thatout of 27 names announced by the Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik for facilitating their release, only threewere Maoists while the rest were common men and members of the Chasi Mulia Adivasi Sangh(CMAS).He further wanted to know why 70-year old Gananath Patra of the CMAS was put behind the bar andalleged that the government was branding the CMAS members as Maoists and suppressing theirdemocratic movement for the cause of the tribals. The Maoist leader accused the goverment of adoptinga double standard in launching operation Linga to kill CMAS leader Nachika Linga in one hand andinviting him for holding talks to resolve the hostage issue on the other hand. (UNI) (New Kerala 11/4/12)Bail of woman Maoist cadre rejected (12)JEYPORE / PARALAKHEMUNDI (Odisha): Maoist sympathiser Gananath Patra was today acquitted by acourt in a case relating to atrocities on scheduled caste people, even as another court rejected the bailplea of woman Naxal leader Arati Majhi. The development is significant because Maoists had set theirrelease as one of their several demands in return for the release of abducted Italian national PaoloBosusco and MLA Jhina Hikaka. Jeypoer Additional Session Judge K C Rath acquitted Patra, advisor ofMaoist-backed Chasi Mulia Adivasi Sangha, in a case relating to atrocities on scheduled caste people inSemiliguda area in September 2009 as the prosecution failed to establish the charges. Two more casesare now pending against Patra, who had been acquitted in an abduction case last month. However, thebail application of Arati Majhi was rejected by the Paralakhemundi district judge B N Mishra in a caserelating to torching of buses in Adaba area of Gajapati district in December 2009. There are six othercases against Majhi, whose release Odisha government has agreed to facilitate freedom of the Italianhostage. (NIE 12/4/12)Odisha: Italian hostage crisis over, MLA yet to be released (12)Bhubaneswar: Italian national Paolo Bosusco was on Thursday finally released by the Maoists in Odishaafter spending a month in captivity. The government agreed to release 27 prisoners including 15 Maoists.After getting released, Italian tourist Paolo Bosusco said, "I am a free man again. I always try to get myfreedom, so let's see the future. It was a unique experience of course, staying with them for such a longtime. I have to learn lots of things, we can learn from everybody and they are human beings like any otherhuman being so there is always something to learn." Bosusco's freedom has been secured at a heavyprice with the government agreeing to release 27 prisoners, which includes 15 members of the ChasiMuliya Adivasi Sangha, eight hardcore Maoists and four aides of Sabyasachi Panda. Odisha ChiefMinister Naveen Patnaik said, "As you all are aware, Maoist released the second Italian hostage. I justhad a word with Italian ambassador and we handed over the Italian. I request Maoist to release theabducted MLA as soon as possible." While the Naxals handed over Bosusco to negotiator DandapaniMohanty, Jhina Hikaka, the Biju Janata Dal (BJD) MLA, is still in Naxal custody. In addition to the releaseof prisoners demanded by Panda, the government will now have to content demands of the OdishaAndhra Border Zonal Committee for the MLA's release. The rival group has demanded that five of theirsympathisers be released, including hardcore Maoist Ghasi. The government says it is examining the

legalities. But one thing is clear, repeated hostage crises have exposed the Odisha government's politicalvulnerability. (CNN IBN 12/4/12)Maoists free Italian hostage Paolo Bosusco (12)Bhubaneswar: After 29 days in captivity, Italian hostage Paolo Bosusco has been released by the Odishaunit of the Maoist party. Yesterday, in an audio message, Maoist leader Sabyasachi Panda said that MrBosusco will be released through a "democratic process". Mr Panda had also said that he had received acopy of the joint statement signed by the Odisha government and the Maoist-appointed mediators, whichwas one of the preconditions for the release of the Italian national. Mr Bosusco, a 51-year-old touroperator was taken hostage by the Maoists on March 14 alongwith compatriot Claudio Colangelo, atourist. Even as Mr Colangelo was allowed to go, Mr Bosusco continued to be held captive with theMaoists remaining firm on the charter of demands. (NDTV 12/4/12)Tackling Naxal issue: Govt plans Rs. 1000-cr body with help of India Inc (12)Mumbai, April 14, 2012: The Union rural development ministry is setting up a body called `Bharat RuralLivelihood Foundation' (BRLF) with a Rs. 1,000-crore corpus with the help of India Inc, to promoteeconomic and social empowerment in 170 districts, including those affected by Naxal violence. "I havealready written to the Tatas, Reliance, Infosys, and Wipro, apart from the dairy cooperative NDDB, andNabard, to be the founding members of BRLF. My ministry is giving initial corpus of Rs. 500 crore," Unionrural development minister Jairam Ramesh said in Mumbai on Saturday. "I want the rest to come from thecorporates," Ramesh told reporters after a meeting with the NABARD brass in Mumbai. We have called ameeting on April 27 in New Delhi of all the stakeholders, including corporates, civil society organisationsand grass-root level activists." This is the first time the government is formally reaching out to the privatesector to tackle the Naxal problem. The foundation will work for improving livelihood and habitats of tribalsin 170 districts, 78 of which are severely affected by the Maoist violence, Ramesh said. NABARD and thegovernment-run National Dairy Development Board too will be a part of the Foundation. Ramesh addedthat foundation will not be a government body, but will run on professional lines, with a chairman and afull-time CEO. "In structure and composition, it will be similar to the Public Health Foundation of Indiachaired by the Infosys co-founder NR Narayan Murthy." The foundation will support developmentalactivities in watershed management, dairy, fisheries, agriculture, etc. On how the corporates canparticipate, he said, "Those who pay higher amount as donations, say Rs. 200 crore, can get a boardposition. But I am sure it will not be a government body and the government will not have any say in itsday to day functioning." BRLF funds will be disbursed to the civil society and NGOs on a need-basedmanner, he added. "The move is part of the Budget proposals. The foundation will scale up civil societyinterventions and transform the lives and livelihoods of the adivasis in these 170 districts spanning AndraPradesh, Bengal, Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, Maharashtra, Madya Pradesh,Odisha,Rajasthan and UttarPradesh," the Minister said. When asked whether donations to BRLF would be considered as part of CSRinitiative, Ramesh answered in the affirmative. Naxal violence has been on the rise in the recent years.(Hindustan Times 14/4/12)Maoists set Wednesday deadline for Hikaka's release (12)Bhubaneswar, April 15: Maoists in Odisha have set a Wednesday deadline for the government to meettheir demands in exchange for the release of ruling Biju Janata Dal (BJD) legislator Jhina Hikaka whomthey have held captive for over 20 days. A Maoist leader who calls herself Aruna said in a statement sentto some local reporters Sunday that the government has to release 29 prisoners in Balipeta village ofKoraput district April 18. The rebels, who initially wanted 30 prisoners to be freed, have also scaled downtheir demand by not insisting on the release of rebel leader Chenda Bhusanam alias Ghasi, who facescharges of killing more than 55 security personnel. The new deadline from the rebels came days after thegovernment said it cannot release Ghasi as he faced grievous charges. Hikaka, the 37-year-old legislatorfrom Laxmipur, was kidnapped by the Andhra-Odisha border special zonal committee of the CommunistParty of India-Maoists in Koraput district March 24. The Maoists had earlier announced an April 10deadline for the government. The government had appealed for the legislator's release, but there was noresponse from the rebels in the past few days. The people whose release the rebels have sought inexchange for the legislator are mostly members of Chasi Mulia Adivasi Sangh (CMAS), an organizationworking in the southern parts of the state, including in Malkangiri and Koraput districts, on tribal-relatedissues. The rebels said they had been booked on false charges. Police however say the organisation has

Maoists support. (IANS) (New Kerala 16/4/12)Maoist-hit area children receive schooling in Jharkhand (12)Ghatsila, Apr 19 : An orphanage run by a villager is imparting education to poor children in the Maoist-hitarea of Jharkhand with an aim to provide them a better future. Kantha Singh orphanage, located inJharkhand's Ghatsila town in Singhbhum District, was founded by Upendranath Karmakar in December2005. Speaking to a reporter on Thursday, Karmakar highlighted the relevance of the orphanage. "Thesechildren hail from all the Maoist-affected areas. They are not from any other far-flung areas. Thesechildren were affected with poverty and hunger. We have provided them accommodation. We believe thatthey should get attached to the mainstream of the society, get educated and move forward in life," hesaid. He further said that the food for the children is managed by alms given by the villagers. The childrenmostly hail from the Maoist-affected and poverty stricken regions of Dumaria, Ghatsila, Darbhanga andChakulia of the state. Recently, several non-government organisations are coming forward to provideeducation in order to educate poor children so that they could become a part of the main society. "Thesechildren belong to Maoist hit areas. We want that they should be educated and live a normal life and donot tread on a wrong path," said Renuka Todo, a teacher. Maoist insurgency has gripped nearly a third ofthe country, spreading into interiors of 20 of India's 28 states. (ANI) (New Kerala 20/4/12)Chhattisgarh slows down anti-Maoist drive till Menon's release (12)Raipur, April 23 : The Chhattisgarh government has virtually called a halt to its anti-Maoist offensive tillSukma District Collector Alex Paul Menon is released from captivity, official sources said Monday. "Thewhole focus is now to secure the safe and early release of Alex Paul Menon. The anti-Maoist operationissue can follow later on," a senior official at the police headquarters here told IANS. The Maoists havedemanded freeze on Operation Green Hunt against them and the release of eight of their jailedcolleagues in exchange for Menon, whom they took hostage Saturday. Menon, 32, a 2006 batch IndianAdministrative Service (IAS) officer, was kidnapped at gunpoint from a forested location, some 500 kmsouth from here, when he was interacting with tribals. The Maoists killed his two guards when theyresisted his abduction. "The state government is considering the Maoists' demands very sympatheticallybut it will take a final call on the matter taking the central government and the state's political parties intototal confidence," sources in the home department said. The state government has also formed a fivememberteam headed by Chief Minister Raman Singh to look into Maoists' demands. The team includesPublic Works Department Minister Brijmohan Agrawal, Water Resources Minister Ramvichar Netam,Home Minister Nankiram Kanwar and Tribal Welfare Minister Kedar Kashyap. Maoists late Sunday said ina message taped anonymously that Chhattisgarh's Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) regime must free theircolleagues - Marakam Gopannam, Nirmal Akka, Devpal Chandra Shekher Reddy, Shanti Priya Reddy,Meena Chowdhary, Korasa Sunny, Markan Sunny and Asit Kumar Sen - by April 25 in exchange for thekidnapped district collector. (IANS) (New Kerala 23/4/12)Maoists want 8 men freed for Sukma collector (12)BHOPAL: The Maoists on Sunday released a set of demands for the release of Sukma district collectorAlex Paul Menon, with a deadline of April 25. Their demands include release of eight hardcore Maoistsfrom Chhattisgarh jails, suspension of anti-Maoist operations by the security forces in Bastar, and releaseof all "innocent tribals" in the jails of Jagdalpur and Dantewada. Journalists in south Bastar said theyreceived phone calls from Vijay, secretary of the south Bastar regional committee of the Communist Partyof India (Maoist), who claimed it was his cadres who "arrested" the district collector on April 21. TheMaoists said the 32-year-old officer would be produced before a 'jan adalat', or peoples' court, whichwould decide his fate if their demands were not met by April 25. The Chhattisgarh government has scaleddown all pro-active security operations in the jungles of Bastar to avoid provoking the Naxals to avoidprovoking the rebels and to ensure safety of the abducted officer. In a pre-recorded statement tojournalists, the Maoists said, "We have arrested the district collector. We are demanding withdrawal ofcases slapped against the people in connection with the case relating to attack on a Congress leader inKonta. We are also demanding release of Markam Gopanna alias Satyam Reddy, Nirmala Akka aliasVijay Lakshmi, Devpal Chandrasekhar Reddy, Shantipriya Reddy, Meena Choudhary, Korsa Sunny,Markam Sunny and Amit Kumar Sen." "We are making all efforts to secure the release of the IAS officer.Efforts are being made to establish contact with the rebel group through various channels, includingthrough Maoist sympathizers," said government spokesman and principal secretary N Baijendra Kumar.

Alex Paul Menon, the first district collector of newly formed Sukma district, was abducted by Maoists fromvillage Manjipara, near Kerlapal, where he was attending a kisan sabha (farmers meet) as a part of theRaman Singh government's outreach programme. The rebels had also gunned down two of his bodyguards who tried to resist the kidnapping. A retired Intelligence bureau official, who was earlier associatedwith anti-Naxalite operations, told TOI that initially the list of demands would be long for the Maoists tonegotiate. During every hostage crisis in the past, at least half of the demands were met", he said, addingthat the rebels coming with their demands within 24 hours of the abduction was a "good sign".Meanwhile,local people in Sukma took out a 'peace march' to appeal to the Maoists to release the district collector onhumanitarian grounds. Former MLA and Bastar Adivasi Mahasabha president Manish Kunjam told TOIthat the Mahasabha had issued an appeal to the rebels not to harm the young officer. "The tribals hereare willing to go into the forests to meet the rebels," he added. Meanwhile, in a fresh appeal, Menon's wifeAsha said the Maoists should release her husband saying that they were married only a few months agoand he had always worked for the people. She said Menon was asthmatic and was not carrying adequatemedicines. "I request the government and Naxals to understand that he is just left with two doses ofmedication," she said, adding that he would not be able to cope with a medical emergency. Asha said shewas in touch with senior officials at the state and central levels and had talked to Union minister JairamRamesh and former Malkangiri collector Vineeil Krishna, who was abducted by Maoists a few monthsback in Odisha. Krishna asked her not to lose courage, she said. (Times of India 23/4/12)Maoists holding Jhina Hikaka hostage make fresh demand (12)BHUBANESWAR: Maoist rebels holding Odisha legislator Jhina Hikaka hostage for more than threeweeks on Saturday demanded the release of all members of Chasi Mulia Adivasi Sangh (CMAS) inexchange for his release. The rebels had earlier sought the release of 29 prisoners, mostly members ofthe CMAS, which works mainly in the southern parts of the state, including Malkangiri and Koraputdistricts, on tribal-related issues. The state government agreed to release 25 of them but the guerrillasrejected the offer and announced to decide the fate of Hikaka in a peoples' court April 25. Expressinganger over the way the state had responded to their demand, rebel leader Daya, in a statement, said thatthe government had done nothing that could help arrive at a solution. "If the state government isinterested in freeing the MLA (member of the legislative assembly), they must first release all of them(members of CMAS)," he said in the statement written in Telugu and received by some reporters here."We oppose the government's policy and approach. We also condemn the delay caused by thegovernment in the matter of releasing the prisoners," he said. He also demanded a complete halt on theoperations against the Maoists. Hikaka, who represents Laxmipur constituency, was kidnapped by theAndhra-Odisha border special zonal committee of the Communist Party of India-Maoist in his homedistrict of Koraput March 24. A CMAS leader said around 150 members of the organisation werelanguishing in jails of both the districts since past several months and facing trial. (Times of India 23/4/12)P Chidamabaram renews offer for peace talks with Maoists (12)New Delhi: Home Minister P Chidambaram on Wednesday renewed the offer for peace talks with Maoistsif they abjure violence during the period of the talks. "I make the offer once again. Government is willing totalk to the CPI Maoists provided they abjure violence during the period of the talks," Chidambaram said inthe Lok Sabha. He was replying to the discussion on the Demands for Grants of the Ministry of HomeAffairs. Chidambaram said the government had set more tough conditions for talks with North-East rebelswhich included surrender of arms and return of the cadre to the barracks. The Minister also stronglydisapproved the "many" civil society organisations who had "completely misunderstood their (Maoists)goals and objectives." "Some members call them misguided. They are not misguided. They are guided bytheir own objectives. We are misleading ourselves by misreading their objectives," Chidambaram said.BJD member Pinaki Misra had charged the government with being confused in its response to the threatposed by Maoists. Participating in the discussion, Misra had said while Prime Minister Manmohan Singhtermed Left Wing Extremism as the gravest threat to internal security, some members of the NationalAdvisory Council (NAC) had called Maoists "misguided youth who have to be dealt with a soft hand."Chidambaram said the Maoists were very clear about their objectives to overthrow Parliamentarydemocracy through an armed rebellion and seize power through the barrel of the gun. "They (Maoists)are not unclear as we are unclear about them... They know their goals and they know their objectives. Weare the ones who are misunderstanding their goals and objectives," he said. (DNA 2/5/12)

Kidnaps could be a failed experiment for Maoists (12)HYDERABAD, May 7, 2012: Maoists may be patting themselves on their back for forcing the Chhattisgarhand Odisha governments to give into their demands in exchange for those abducted by them, but kidnapas a tool of revolutionary warfare could prove to be counter-productive to them. The prolonged captivity ofhostages and the perceived helplessness of the government, which fears for the safety of the hostages,have an adverse impact on the psyche of society. Typical is the societal response to the hostage crisisrecently witnessed in Chhattisgarh and Odisha. Barring a vociferous intelligentsia, civil rights activists andselect representatives of political and bureaucratic circles of the States concerned, the other sections ofsociety have not reacted to the evolving crisis.The Andhra Pradesh experience, however, shows thissilence often metamorphoses into a ‘silent sanction' being accorded to the State for all the extra-judicialacts it commits while trying to toughen its stand against the hostage-takers subsequently. It is this ‘silentsanction' that emboldens the security forces to resort to actions beyond what they are expected to do.And they get away with it too. The case of Andhra Pradesh would perhaps be the best example of howkidnap as a strategy is a failed experiment for Naxalites. The State witnessed many abductions in the late1980s and early 1990s. The demands made after such rampant abductions could broadly be categorisedinto: release of arrested or convicted cadres; production of missing cadres (believed to have been killedor arrested by police); permission for public meetings and construction of demolished ‘stupams'(monuments). The first kidnap in Andhra Pradesh was reported on September 6, 1984, when Naxals tookaway a senior revenue official at Addateegala of East Godavari district and demanded the release ofPerumalla Devudu, a central organiser. A panicked government conceded the demand and the officialwas set free the next day. Then came the historic kidnap of seven IAS officers in Gurtedu of the samedistrict on December 27, 1987.The abduction of senior bureaucrats led to immense pressure on thegovernment, which was forced to concede the demand of releasing of jailed Naxalites, includingWadkapur Chandramouli, then a division committee secretary, who later rose to be a member of politbureau. (He was later killed in 2006). With civil liberties leader K.G. Kannabiran holding negotiations, thehostages were released only after the jailed Naxal leaders were handed over to them. So intense was thepressure on the government that it had not allowed the NSG commandos despatched by the Centre totake any action to free the hostages. Though there was a lull for the next two years, abductions began in1989 again, due to an unstable political scenario as the NTR government was to face elections. In June1989, a mandal parishad president Malhar Rao was abducted and shot dead when the government failedto produce two missing Naxalites — Gopagani Ilaiah and Burra Ramulu. Then came the liberal periodduring the chief ministership of M. Channa Reddy and kidnaps continued. The most notable was that oflegislator P. Sudhir Kumar after a daring raid on his house in the centre of Hyderabad. A stunnedgovernment had no other go but to release senior most leader Nemaluri Bhaskara Rao and two others inexchange for Sudhir Kumar. In 1993, tribal legislator P. Balarau and IAS officer Srinivasulu wereabducted in the Visakhapatnam agency area and a Naxal leader Kranti Ranadeo was released inexchange. The Naxal leadership indeed revelled in the successes and even justified the ‘kidnap' tacticand termed it a form of struggle. As kidnaps continued, society had more or less viewed it as a problemconcerning the ruling party, the police and Naxalites, but never intervened. Vexed with the soft attitude ofthe governments, the police did act on their own in August 1989. When two policemen were abducted inKarimnagar, the police responded by organising the counter-kidnap of civil rights activist Balagopal by asupposedly civil vigilante group — ‘Praja Bandhu.' Naxalites released the constables and Balagopal toowas let off. The most dangerous fallout of the overuse of this tactic was to be felt after the Congressgovernment proscribed the People's War Group on May 20, 1992. The police forces let loose a reign ofterror and there was not even a murmur of protest from people even when those arrested were shot deadin full public view in what came to be known as ‘encounters.'Peculiar was the societal response to thepolice behaviour. While there was no protest against any ‘encounter killings' of people believed to beNaxalites, people turned up in thousands and even attacked police stations whenever there werecustodial deaths in which innocent people were tortured to death. Perhaps, by observing thisdichotomous trend, Maoists had then announced that they indeed erred in treating kidnap as a tactic andeven considering it as a form of struggle. Will history repeat itself now in Central India? It remains to beseen. (The Hindu 7/5/12)“Tribals' rights at the core of Maoist conflict” (12)NEW DELHI, May 7, 2012: The conflict between the government and the Maoists in the tribal areas didn'tstart with the abduction of Sukma Collector Alex Paul Menon and it would not end with his release,

observed B.D. Sharma, the mediator who secured Mr. Menon's freedom after two weeks in captivity.Addressing a press conference here over the weekend, Mr. Sharma said: “At the core of the clashbetween the governments and the Maoists lies the question of ownership of jal, jangal and zameen of thetribals, who used to be the owners of the mineral-rich region, and the model of development which thegovernments, State as well as the Union, are thrusting upon them.” Referring to the “understanding”reached between the Chhattisgarh government and Maoists, he hoped the temporary ceasefire inOperation Green Hunt will lead to an era of peace. However, he added: “Only astrologers can predict thelongevity of the current ‘ceasefire.” The former District Magistrate of Bastar talked about the situationprevailing in the tribal region while highlighting the government's failure in protecting the rights of tribals.“When I asked a local tribal in Bastar about the difference the Maoists' presence has made to his life, hereplied that the tribals don't get troubled by the patwari and the daroga ,” Mr. Sharma said. Talking aboutthe “inherent contradiction” in the government's policy on tribals, Mr. Sharma said instead of resolvingcore issues like rights over forests, forest produce, people's rights over land and resources, and thetrader-contractor-politician nexus, governments have signed hundreds of memoranda of understandingwith foreign and domestic companies for exploitation of minerals without the consent of the local people.“Our Prime Minister calls the tribal people poor! How can you call the community poor which historicallyand naturally used to own and cultivate the mineral-rich region and its resources?” he said. Mr. Sharmaregretted that the Bhuria Committee's 1996 recommendation regarding community ownership of industryhad not been adopted still. He said tribals had not been given any stake in the present model ofdevelopment despite the Centre having envisaged carving out a zone to ensure the partnership of tribalsin development. He highlighted the “open violation” of the provisions of the Panchayat (Extension toSchedule Areas) Act, 1996 (PESA) — the PESA had envisaged that “every Gram Sabha shall becompetent to safeguard and preserve the tradition and customs of the people, their cultural identity,community resources and the customary mode of the dispute resolution.” (The Hindu 7/5/12)Alex Paul returns home to ‘aarti’ by family members (12)BHOPAL: Amid busting of crackers by the people outside his residence, family members of Sukma districtcollector Alex Paul Menon performed "Aarti" as a welcome gesture as the 32-year-old IAS officer returnedhome on the 13th day after spending 12 days in Maoist captivity in the dense forests of "Dandakaranya"in South Bastar region of Chhattisgarh. Hundreds of people had gathered at the Sukma airstrip,collectorate and in front of his official residence in the tribal town from early morning waiting for the arrivalof Menon, who spent the night at Chintalnar CRPF camp after his release from Maoist captivity onThursday afternoon. As the helicopter carrying Menon and Maoists' interlocutors touched down at thedistrict headquarters, people burst crackers to welcome his return. After his abduction from villageManjipara near Kerlapal on April 21, the rebels had kept him as hostage in the forests falling under theso-called liberated zone of Dandakaranya, an area dominated by the Maoists. 'Dandakaranya' is thesame region through which Lord Rama is said to have passed during his 14 year-long exile. "We havecompleted our task of ensuring safe return of Alex Paul Menon. We are thankful to South Bastar unit ofCPI (Maoist) for trusting us. We are also grateful to the state government for agreeing to our mediation",the Maoist interlocutors Dr B D Sharma and Prof G Haragopal told newsmen at Sukma. Replying to avolley of questions, the interlocutors denied any secret deal for the freedom of the abducted collectorsaying that the state government has already start work as agreed upon in the agreement worked outbetween both the sides. "We have a list of 400 under-trials and others whose cases need to be reviewed.But I cannot disclose the list", Dr B D Sharma said. Meanwhile the high-powered committee-set up underchairmanship of 1960 batch IAS officer and former Madhya Pradesh chief secretary Nirmala Buch-beganits sittings to review the cases of all under-trials languishing in the jails of Chhattisgarh. The committee,comprising state chief secretary Sunil Kumar and Director general of state police Anil M Navaney, had ameeting with state home secretary N K Oswal, director (prosecution) and top intelligence officials.(Timesof India 6/5/12)Chhattisgarh model offers template for hostage talks (12)Home minister P. Chidambaram is examining the possibility of evolving a uniform hostage policy as aconsequence of the increasingly frequent abductions of government officers and civilians by Maoists. InAndhra Pradesh, Bengal, Odisha and most recently in Chhattisgarh, the Maoists demanded that the stategovernments release their imprisoned cadres in exchange for hostages. The Chhattisgarh government’shandling of the recent hostage crisis could provide a template not only for a general hostage policy but for

tackling the after-effects of police highhandedness. In both Odisha and Chhattisgarh, the stategovernments chose to negotiate instead of mounting an armed operation. However, certain advantagesof the Chhattisgarh model of negotiation stand out. The Odisha government gave in to the Maoistdemands for releasing their jailed cadres in the recent kidnapping of two Italians and an MLA, JhinaHikaka. This policy of capitulation had been followed earlier in February 2011 when the district collector ofMalkangiri, Ravella Vineel Krishna, and a junior engineer, Pabitra Majhi, were abducted. The Odishagovernment, like the Andhra government earlier, used its own officers to directly negotiate hostagerelease. That left the government with very little room to manoeuvre as any commitment by officers, evenin informal discussions, got sanctified and could not be re-negotiated. Moreover, negotiations bygovernment officials in Odisha made the political leadership of the state — especially chief ministerNaveen Patnaik — directly responsible for the safety of the hostages. If things went wrong, he would bearthe brunt of criticism. Even if he succeeded — and success is difficult to measure in a panic-drivensituation to concede Maoist demands — he would still be called weak-kneed. The Chhattisgarhnegotiations were a departure from this model and surprised even the critics of the BJP which is usuallyraring to go against the Maoists. The Raman Singh government did not release any Maoist prisoners inadvance and yet managed to secure the safe release of the kidnapped district collector of Sukma, AlexPaul Menon. It also set in motion a process with the potential to address a major grievance of the Maoists— indiscriminate arrests and jailing of innocent tribals after every clash with the Maoists. TheChhattisgarh government set up a cabinet sub-committee to oversee the negotiations. This committeeincluded all potential critics from within the government. Besides Kedar Kashyap, a minister from Bastar,it comprised three other leaders who could have challenged the chief minister in case the negotiationsfailed — home minister Nanakiram Kanwar and two former home ministers, Brijmohan Agarwal andRamvichar Netam. Once they were on board, the success or failure of the negotiations would be acollective one. The Opposition was also made a stakeholder by calling an all-party meeting which put itsweight behind the negotiations. This effectively prevented party politics impacting the hostage crisis. Thenegotiation was not conducted by serving government officers. Once the Maoists named their mediators— former IAS officer B.D. Sharma and later, professor Hargopal from Andhra Pradesh — named afterlawyer Prashant Bhushan and former MLA Manish Kunjam of the Communist Party of India refused tomediate on their behalf — the government also chose interlocutors with experience both in governmentand civil society organisations. It chose Nirmala Buch, a former chief secretary of Madhya Pradesh whohad worked for more than two decades in the NGO sector and the former chief secretary of Chhattisgarh,S.K. Mishra. Buch was senior enough to command the respect of Maoist mediator and former civil servantSharma. In this way, just as the Maoists were once removed from the negotiations, so was the stategovernment…… (Telegraph 14/5/12)Maoist attack: tension in Edugurallapalli (12)KHAMMAM, May 16, 2012: Tension mounted in the Edugurallapalli forest belt in Chintur mandal,adjoining Kunta block in Chhattisgarh following the Maoist attack on a police patrol team near Kothurvillage in Chintur mandal on Monday. A group of Maoists fired at Mothugudem Sub Inspector Srinivas andtwo constables near Kothur while the policemen were proceeding to Edugurallapalli in an autorickshaw.Mr. Srinivas had a narrow escape after the Naxalites fired on the autorickshaw in which he was travellingalong with his two gunmen. Ramesh, a constable of the Mothugudem police station, sustained a bulletwound in is left hand. The autorickshaw reportedly sped away even as the SI returned the fire. TheMaoists were digging up the Boddugudem-Pothuru main road near Kothur when the incident occurred.The Maoists felled trees and tied banners in support of their nation-wide bandh on Wednesday againstthe proposed National Counter Terrorism Centre (NCTC) and the ongoing “Operation Green Hunt”. Theyretreated into the forest after the incident. The injured constable was admitted to the government areahospital at Bhadrachalam the same night where his condition is stable. Meanwhile, senior police officialstook stock of the situation and rushed additional forces to the Edugurallapalli forest belt in view of thestepped up violence by the Naxalites.. A case was registered against the members of the Sabari Dalam,said Chintur CI M Sudhakar. Vigil has been intensified in areas bordering Chhattisgarh, he said. (TheHindu 16/5/12)Maoist bandh partial (12)BERHAMPUR, May 17, 2012: The bandh call given by Maoists had its impact in some pockets of southOdisha on Wednesday. Vehicular traffic was partially affected in Maoist-affected districts of south Odisha.

But its impact was hardly seen on normal life except a few pockets. As a precautionary measure theOdisha State Road Transport Corporation (OSRTC) suspended its bus services in the Naxalite-affectedareas. According to OSRTC divisional manager (Berhampur division) A.K. Mishra, the OSRTC buses ofthe division did not ply through Gumuda in Rayagada district. At least five long-route buses of the OSRTCare plying via Gumuda to parts of undivided Koraput district. Similar decision was taken by the Jeyporedivision of the OSRTC in Koraput district. OSRTC buses are the major source of communication in southOdisha. In Koraput district, the impact of the bandh was seen in Narayanpatna, Bandhugaon, andLamtaut blocks where shops remained closed and no passenger vehicles dared to ply on roads. Nopassenger vehicles travelled on Ankadeli-Koraput-Jeypore route in Koraput district. In Malkangiri district,the bandh call had impact on passenger vehicles in some interior pockets. The OSRTC buses did not plyin Malkangiri district. But in most of the places in Malkangiri district, shops remained open. In Rayagadadistrict, the impact of the bandh call was seen in Muniguda area of Bisamkatak block. Passenger vehiclesdid not ply from Muniguda to other pats of the district and outside. In Gajapati district, the bandh call hadlittle impact. Only OSRTC did not operate buses in the district. Passenger vehicles travelled fromParlakhemundi to all parts of the district including the Maoist-affected areas like Adaba and Mohana. InKandhamal district, the bandh call had its impact on vehicular traffic in the areas like Tunudibandha,Brahmanigaon, Kotagarh, and Baliguda. Security was stepped up in all Maoist-hit areas of Malkangiri,Koraput, Rayagada, Kandhamal, Gajapati, Nabarangpur, and Ganjam districts as a precautionarymeasure to check any attempt of violence by Maoists during the bandh. No untoward incident wasreported during the bandh. State police, Special Operation Group (SOG), Central Reserve Police Force(CRPF) and Border Security Force (CRPF) personnel continued patrolling and combing in Maoist-affectedareas. Maoists gave the bandh call demanding end of the Operation Green Hunt and combing operation,closure of CRPF camps and non-establishment of the proposed National Counter Terrorism Centre(NCTC) by the Centre. (The Hindu 17/5/12)State's missing youngsters have joined Maoists (12)GUWAHATI: At least 300 state youths who have been gone missing from their homes over the last twoyears are suspected to have joined the Maoists. Assam Police recently carried out the survey to trackMaoists recruits in all districts of the state and came to a conclusion that these youngsters have joined therebels. At present the Maoists in the state are guided by the Upper Assam Leading Committee with topleader Aditya Bora as its secretary. Bora, who was arrested in Jharkhand last year, was released on bailand since then he has jumped bail. "There are about a hundred listed Maoists cadres in the state and it isvery likely that the rebels have launched a recruitment drive. These 300-odd youths left their homes in thelast two years mostly on the pretext of taking up jobs elsewhere. They have not communicated with theirfamilies ever since and are untraceable. There is good chance that they have gone underground asMaoist recruits," a security source said. The developments have been reported mostly in Kokrajhar,Baksa and Udalguri districts bordering Bhutan, Dhemaji, Tinsukia districts bordering Arunachal Pradeshand Golaghat and Sibsagar districts bordering Nagaland. The source added that most of these youths arefrom districts bordering Bhutan, Arunachal Pradesh in the north and Nagaland in the east. "A significantnumber of youths from Adivasi-dominated areas are also suspected to be among them," the sourceadded. Unlike the pattern in other states, the initial recruits in Assam have mostly been from communitiesother than Adivasis. "The general trend in other states shows that recruits are mainly from marginalizedgroups of the population, but that has not been reflected yet in Assam. There is just a sprinkling of Adivasiyouths among the listed cadres," the source added. "The Adivasis here live under relatively bettercondition than their brethren in Chattisgarh, Jharkhand or Orissa. The pattern so far seen here iswherever governance has failed and Ulfa is on the wane, Maoists have moved in. The Reds have alsotrained their eyes on mass protests for picking up potential cadres," the source added. (Times of India20/5/12)Kishenji's security ring expected to surrender today (12)KOLKATA, May 23, 2012: Some Maoist activists believed to have once been a part of the security ringaround Communist Party of India (Maoist) Polit Bureau member Koteswara Rao alias Kishenji areexpected to publicly surrender before the police authorities in the State's Paschim Medinipur district onWednesday. The surrender is likely to be one of the biggest since Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee'sgovernment came to power. The event is creating waves as never before have so many Maoistssurrendered simultaneously and that too with their weapons. But senior police officers were tight-lipped

on Tuesday about the details. The efforts of the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) battalion in thearea are being credited for securing their surrender. There were reports that these persons had providedthe police with crucial information about Kishenji's whereabouts that eventually led to the encounter onNovember 24 in which he was killed. In the course of the fighting that took place, the group is believed tohave sided with the police. Senior Maoist squad member Suchitra Mahato, who was with Kishenji at thattime, has already surrendered before the Chief Minister at the State Secretariat. (The Hindu 23/5/12)Maoist presence blessing in disguise: Rights body (12)RANCHI: A fact finding team of human rights organizations from all over the country which visitedSaranda forest in West Singhbhum district recently termed the presence of Maoists in the area as ablessing in disguise. After returning from the three-day tour of Saranda jungle, the team members led byhuman rights activists Gautam Naulakha and Sashi Bhushan Pathak were of the opinion that had theMaoists not entered the difficult terrain, the government would have ignored the tribals living in the farflungareas. The team was on a three day tour and visited five villages to assess the impact of presenceof security personnel in the area and the problem they face. "Even after more than six decades ofindependence the tribals live in very poor condition. When the Maoists penetrated in the jungles, thegovernment realized that these areas also need development," said Naulakha adding that the team wouldcome up with a detailed report on their visit including information about atrocities on women and childrenby security forces. He criticized the government for putting the villagers at mercy of forces. "In the nameof anti-Maoist operations, the security personnel deployed in the area not only beat up innocent villagersincluding women and children but also take away their belongings including cash," said Naulakha. Theteam members also termed the Saranda Development Plan as eyewash to allure common man andprevent protests against mining activities. "Saranda has huge reserve of iron ore and the SarandaDevelopment Plan of Union rural development minister Jairam Ramesh is just a tool to pave the way forentry of big corporate houses eyeing Chiria iron ore reserve," said a team member. The rights team hasalso demanded immediate withdrawal of security personnel who often beat up men and women. Atpresent, there are 25 camps in the jungles of Saranda. "We were surprised that even at times of raids invillages no women constable or officer is there and this is not the correct system. We want that thegovernment should take against officers who misbehave with innocent women in the name of search forMaoists," said Naulakha. (Times of India 24/5/12)Naxals call for Andhra-Odisha border bandh on May 30 (12)VISAKHAPATNAM: Maoists have called for a bandh in Andhra-Odisha border on May 30 protestingimplementation of globalization policies of central and state governments. The Maoist party said here onThursday that because of these policies, people are facing land shortage, famine, corruption and otherissues. In a press release, AOB secretary Chandra Mouli said that the rulers were neglecting theimplementation of 1/70 Act in the scheduled area. He alleged that 300 MPs and 70% of the ministersbecame millionaires and that the worth of the assets of top 100 richest persons in the country is $241billion. He said that from Kalinga Nagar to Kakarapalli, Naveen Patnaik and Kiran Kumar Reddygovernments were giving permissions to industrialists to set up SEZs. "People should stand up and raisetheir voice against the capitalist governments," he said. He said lakhs of families were either displaced orhomeless due to thermal power projects and industries. He said because of the MoUs with Posco, Jindal,Indalco and other companies, tribals were being displaced as industries were allowed to come up on theircultivable lands. He alleged that the new mining policy is giving space for the corporates to displace thepeople from the hills also. He said the government is adopting oppressive tactics against the agitatingtribals and suppressing the Maoists in the name of Operation Green Hunt. (Times of India 25/5/12)Maoist attacks hit APFDC operations (12)VISAKHAPATNAM, May 26, 2012: Maoists of the CPI (ML) had, since the year 2006, been targetingproperties and economic assets of Andhra Pradesh Forest Development Corporation to express their ireat the government. The Maoists carried out as many as 26 attacks on its properties and economic assets,including torching of jeeps, burning of divisional office records and furniture, blasting of pulper unit, lootingof coffee and pepper from godowns, stalling plantation works and fruit collection. The APFDC, being thevisible face of the government and by reason of being the most organised government agency carryingon economic activity and having much to do with the local tribal community, has become easy target ofthe Maoists. The Maoists, who claim to be the champions of girijan welfare, are at the end of the day

found to be working at cross purposes by frequently attacking an agency and its employees, who arepredominantly tribal. The APFDC is providing wage employment to 3,000 tribal families and sustainingmore than 10,000 members of the scheduled tribal community. A minimum of two to three members in afamily are being given wage employment and helping them earn Rs.9,000 per couple and, in some cases,their sons and daughters are also provided employment. On an average, a couple working in the coffeeestates is able to earn Rs.4,600 each at daily wages rate of Rs.153.40. Assuming that only one memberof the family is earning, the wages of Rs.4,600 per month is considered a big money in the localconditions. The Maoists, by targeting an employment generating agency that is ushering in economictransformation, are actually hitting the girijan wage labourers on their bellies. The Maoists stalling coffeecultivation and harvesting operations, destroying coffee and pepper products, and encouraging the localpopulace to attack APFDC godowns and steal the plantation produce, amounted to indulging in a selfdefeatingexercise. Their giving a call to people to occupy coffee plantation lands of the APFDC servedno practical purposes nor helps further the interests of any one. If, according to the Maoist call, the coffeecultivation comes to a grinding halt, what would happen to the fate of 10,000-odd people living purely onwage employment in coffee estates. In 2006-07, seven major attacks on vehicles and properties wererecorded. In 2007-08, two major attacks occurred. In 2009-10, there was one major incident involvingdestruction of divisional office. In 2010-11, three incidents and in 2011-12, the number of incidentsincreased to 12. In the Gunalanka, Marripakalu, Tokachilaka, Kumkumpudi, Balapam, Cherukumpakalu,Chaparatipalem, Rompulu and Pedavalasa areas, the Maoists stalled coffee cultivation works, resulting indecline in production. At present, maintenance works in pockets of R.V. Nagar and Cherukumpakalaestate of Chintapalle north division had been stalled. APFDC General Manager A.N. Gurumurthy told TheHindu that the Maoists should see reason and not indulge in any activity which hampered thedevelopment of tribal communities. They should allow the economic activity to grow so that more benefitscould be accrued to larger number of people. He reminded that not only wage labourers but most of theemployees of APFDC were tribal men and women. If the operations get stalled, none except the tribalpeople would suffer. (The Hindu 26/5/12)Readed Maoist Manjhi arrested in joint operation (12)Ranchi: Maoist zonal commander Naveen Manjhi and his fianceé, also a top-level cadre, have beenarrested, reportedly in a joint operation in Vishnugarh, Hazaribagh. Hazaribagh police departmentconfirmed the arrest of the dreaded rebel during joint operation of police and CRPF in Gidhania forest inVishnugarh (Hazaribagh) two days back. Jharkhand DGP GS Rath had earlier denied the arrests. "Wehave caught him. We have established his identity also," a top police official said. CPI (Maoist)commander of Jinga zone Manjhi (47) was carrying Rs 10 lakh reward on his head. Known as Naveenda,Bhuvan Manjhi and Banshi Manjhi, Naveen had been operating in four districts of Jharkhand - Chatra,Hazaribagh, Bokaro and Giridih. Manjhi had posed a big challenge for the police as they had beenunsuccessful in arresting him despite best efforts. In terms of creating terror he figured alongside KundanPahan. Manjhi is the resident of Chinkiro village of Dumri block in Giridih, and is said to have joined theoutfit some 17 years ago. The police confirmed that Manjhi was arrested along with his fiancé Chameliand two other area commanders - Ramji Manjhi and Sitaram Manjhi. "Manjhi was a blacklisted CPI(Maoist) as he allegedly swindled `2 crore collected as levy by the organisation. CPI (Maoist) had stoppedhim from collecting levy on the behalf of organisation. "He was isolated in the organisation and he waseven shifted to Odisha a few months back. Sensing that he could be the target of CPI (Maoist) for ditchingorganisation, he was trying for his surrender on the condition that the police would be lenient towards himand his crime," a top intelligence official said. Manjhi was replaced by Ajay Mahto as new commander ofJinga zone. Involved in several cases of killing and looting Manjhi had killed policemen in Bermo andBokaro area. Four years back he had openly challenged forces by taking control of Hazaribagh-GiridihRoad near Holang for many hours. He had killed a wireless operator named Oliver Tirkey of Giridih districtpolice during the road capture. (Pioneer 1/6/12)Naxal bandh call creates confusion (12)NAGPUR: Two conflicting schedules of agitations released through press communications by variousunits of Naxals in Dandakaranya region has left the security agencies baffled. While Naxal's southregional committee of Dandakaranya has appealed for observation of 'Jan fituri saptah' between June 5and 12 with the last day of the week to be observed as bandh, the other one - Dandakaranya specialzonal committee - has called for supporting their weeklong 'Virodh saptah' between June 1 and 7 with the

last day to be observed as a strike. Though announced in different periods, the different Naxal units ofDandakaranya, spread across the forested regions of Maharashtra, Chhattisgarh and parts of Andhra-Odisha border in Central India, have appealed to masses to support them in their protest activitiesdirected towards the deployment of the Indian Army in the hinterlands and conducting operations againstthe tribal. Superintendent of police (Gadchiroli) S Vireesh Prabhu described the situation as an attempt toconfuse security forces. "We are already in the operation mode and the entire period would see us in analert state," he said. Meanwhile, Naxals too have stepped up their violence in the southern part of thedistrict. Despite police patrolling and a security post in the vicinity, Naxals barged into the residence of thepresident of the tanta-mukti samiti for Jarawandi village in Etapalli Gajanan Madavi before gunning himdown last week. In another incident, the rebels stormed the residence of a bootlegger at Perimilli in Aheritaluka. As he was not at home, the Naxals damaged his vehicle. A source also claimed that rebels alsofired on the police post but the security agencies have denied the same. (Times of India 4/6/12)Naxals, police grappling to gain upper hand (12)NAGPURl The ongoing 'Protest week' of the Naxals against stationing army in Chhattisgarh, whichculminates with a bandh call on Thursday, has prompted stiff competition between the rebels and securityforces. With couple of encounters within seven hours' span, the security forces have started mountingpressure on the rebels with the view to foil their plans to make their ongoing protest week and upcomingbandh a success. Gadchiroli's C-60 commandos engaged the Naxals in a late evening encounter nearMayal Ghat on the border of the Gondia district in Korchi taluka at 10.30 pm on a day earlier. A revolverand several walkie-talkies apart from detonators and wires were later discovered from the spot. TheNaxals were resting when the security forces reached the place, it was learnt. In second encounter nearPadaboriya village close to Maharashtra-Chhatisgarh borders at 5.30 am in Dhanora tehsil, a jointoperation of district police and Central reserve police force (CRPF) took on a bunch of Naxal cadres whilethey were sneaking out of the village after rest when they were intercepted. The Naxals also tried to maketheir presence felt by setting afire a forest department office and vehicle at Dechalipethe village in Aheritaluka in the wee hours of Wednesday. The Naxals also learnt to have blocked the Aheri-Sironchaconnecting road, which is part of the state highway, for a brief period. It was also revealed that the Naxalshave distributed pamphlets and put up posters regarding their demands and appeal for the bandh. (Timesof India 6/6/12)Maoists add rocket launchers to arsenal (12)New Delhi: The NIA has revealed that the Maoists are in the final stages of ‘fine-tuning and calibrating’technology to manufacture rocket launchers. The NIA has been carrying out painstaking investigationsover the last six months into Maoists acquiring sophisticated weapons technology. Highly-placedintelligence sources said investigations have also revealed that the Maoists want to use these rocketlaunchers not just against the paramilitary but also against the Army, which plans to open jungle warfareschools in the Maoist heartland. It has also been learnt that Maoists have pumped in about `40 crore overthe last 12 years to acquire technology for manufacturing rocket launchers. The NIA was initially tipped offabout the Maoists getting sophisticated weapons late last year. Then the arrest of Sadanala Ramakrishnaalias Techie Anna, the head of the Maoist technical committee, in March helped the NIA get moreinformation on this aspect.Techie Anna has informed the investigating agencies that the Maoists hadalready manufactured nearly 8,000 rocket launchers but were unhappy with their quality as they were stilla bit crude. Since then it has been learnt that the Maoists have made significant progress in rocketlaunchertechnology. What is also bothering the intelligence agencies is that they still have not been ableto recover this huge cache of rocket launchers. (Asian Age 7/6/12)Prayas Girls School for Maoist area girls (12)Raipur:: Prayas Girls School having 200 seats has been constructed with the estimated cost of`4.81 crorein the premise of Prayas Boys School, Gudhiyari. It is to be mention ed here that two students of theschool have cracked entrance test of Indian Institute of Technology and around 148 students of Prayashave cleared the entrance examination of All India Engineering Entrance Examination this year.Dharamlal Kaushik, Speaker of Chhattisgarh Assembly would preside over the dedication ceremony,informed departmental source and added that Ramesh Bais, Member of Parliament, Raipur Lok Sabha,Ravindra Choubey, Leader of Opposition in Chhattisgarh Assembly, Brijmohan Agrawal, Minister forPublic Work Department, School Education, Culture and Tourism, Kedar Kashyap, Minister for Scheduled

Caste and Scheduled Tribes Development, Backward and Minor Development and Public HealthEngineering, Rajesh Munat, Minister for Housing, Environment and Transport, Mahesh Gagda,Parliamentary Secretary, Dr Kiranmoyee Nayak, Mayor of capital city and Laxmi Verma, President,District Panchayat Raipur would attend the ceremony as special invitees. (Pioneer 14/6/12)Two Maoists arrested in Odisha (12)Rourkela: Rourkela police on Thursday arrested two hardcore Maoists and said they were part of a groupof Red rebels who were planning to attack security camps in some western districts. Identified as SudhirBhuiyan alias Bishram (24) and Habil Horo (23), the duo belong to the West Singhbhum district ofJharkhand and were accused in several murder cases. They were arrested from the Saranda forestsbordering Odisha and Jharkhand in the wee hours of the day in a joint operation by a unit of the DistrictVoluntary Force and one platoon of A-19 Battalion of the CRPF under the command of Bondamunda IICPK Biswal with assistance from SI M Pradhan of K Bolanga police station. Their interrogation revealedthat the Maoists were planning to attack “soft targets” such as security forces camps, training centres andthe like in western Odisha, said Western Range DIG Yaswant Jethwa in a Press conference. Jethwa said,“We have sounded alert to RPF, CISF camps and other installations,” and added that the forces havestarted joint operation in various areas to thwart any such move by the ultras. As per the plan of theMaoists’ Saranda platoon, about 100 cadres with help from other areas could strike any place in theregion.” Stating that the arrest was vital as the arrested duo revealed the Maoist plan on co-ordinationamong the cadres of Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh and Odisha to strengthen the sagging confidence of theoutlawed organisation, Jethwa informed that they were nabbed about 2 am at Lungra Ghati underK.Balang police station by a joint team of the CRPF and the District Voluntary Force following a tip-off.Both the Maoists, Bhuiyan and Horo, were accused in the killing of Ajit Bardhan, a sub-inspector of policein 2009, and former woman Maoist Kandri Lohar and her four-year-old son last year. Lohar had left theCPI-Maoist and joined the police as a home guard. They were also allegedly involved in looting Rs 49lakh from a vehicle on August 6, 2010. According to Jethwa on August 6, 2010, about 25-30 armedMaoists, including the two, under the leadership of Anmol Hembram alias Samarji and Prashant lootedcash of Rs 49 lakh from Barsuan Ghat near Tinko Ghati while it was being transported from LahunipadaADB to SBI Barsuan branch in a Marshal Jeep. On the report of SBI Bonai branch manager LaxmanBehera, a case was registered at Lahunipada PS. Jethwa said the arrested two were under the activecommand of Anmol, who coordinated movement of Naxal cadre in Odisha part of Saranda forest. Jethwasaid Anmol, Sandeep of Deogarh division, and Kunu Dehury, who is heading Sambalpur along withAbhaya and Ajaya from Saranda platoon of guerrilla division of the Maoists, came together and havemade a plan to strike soft targets. Police in all the neighbouring districts like Deogarh, Sambalpur, Anguland Keonjhar have been informed about the possibility of an attack, police sources said. The police haveseized one double barrel country made pistol and ammunition from Bhuiyan and Horo. The Rourkela SPand CRPF commandant were also present. (Pioneer 15/6/12)Maoists recruiting minority youths (12)GUWAHATI: The arrest of a Maoist in the city on June 8 has brought to the fore the CPI (Maoist)'s newtrend of recruiting minority youths in the state. Monowar Hussain, whose assumed name is Naresh, wasarrested at Dhirenpara in the city, which led the police to search for another youth from the minoritycommunity, Amiruddin alias Sunil, who's still on the run. "Monowar and Amiruddin are from Dhubri districtand are the trainers for Maoists' new recruits in the state," a source said. "This is something new and wewere not exploring this angle of minority youths being tapped by Maoists till we arrested Monowar," thesource said. The two became Maoist cadres in 2007 and were trained in guerilla fighting at Gaya in Bihar.Amiruddin is, in fact, in charge of armed training in the state, the source added. All this while securityforces only had information about Ahom, Moran and Adivasi boys from the state and Khamti boys ofArunchal Pradesh being recruited by the CPI (Maoist). "We have information about Amiruddin being holedup somewhere in West Bengal. We have sent a special team to the state. Amiruddin's home is inMedertari under Fakirganj police station, where the April 30 boat tragedy had taken place. We raided hishouse but his family members told us that he left home about a year ago," the source said. Securityforces are now trying to delve into the reason for Maoists recruiting minority youths. "The question couldbe put the other way around — why are minority youths in the state looking up to Maoists while the hugepopulation of Adivasi youths in the state have been keeping them at bay so far," the source said. Differenttheories have been floated and one suggests that all along, security forces have been ignoring the huge

population of minority youths, who could be as gullible to armed groups as any other community in thestate. "In the past, we have seen minority youths being lured into militant outfits like the Muslim UnitedLiberation Tigers of Assam," the source added. "For Maoists, the most backward areas are the mostfertile ground for finding recruits and spreading their base. While in other parts of the country the Adivasiareas are underdeveloped, the Muslim-dominated char areas in the state, which are hit by annual floods,are backward," the source added. ((Times of India 15/6/12)Fresh Maoist threat, security beefed up (12)Rourkela: The Maoists in Saranda forest are seeking to renew their movement along Odisha-Jharkhandborder, if the sources are to be believed. Apprehensions loom large over the possible infiltration ofMaoists to uncharted forest territories connecting Sambalpur district on south-west and Chhattisgarh onnorth-west and Jharkhand on the north. Accordingly, security exercise has been strengthened fromSaranda border to Deogarh by Rourkela police while Sundargarh police are keeping a watch on theporous borders from Sambalpur district to Chhattisgarh and Jharkhand. Incidentally, this time surveillancecoverage has increased manifold as police have to cover almost all corners amid fresh threatperceptions. Sources said the Eastern Regional Bureau (ERB) of the banned CPI (Maoist) outfit with itsbase inside Saranda had to lie low over the past year for various reasons, including the biggest-ever jointsearch operation by forces of Jharkhand and Odisha. Also, the encounter killing of high profile Maoistleader Koteswar Rao alias Kishenji in Bengal has brought their morale down. Around the same timeRourkela police substantially curbed their menace with encounters of four dreaded Maoists and arrest ofseveral others. Saranda-based Maoists have shown signs of rejuvenation in recent months. They killed atleast half-a-dozen civilians in Jharkhand. As per intelligence inputs, Maoists of Saranda, Sambalpurdistrict and Chhattisgarh under the leadership of ERB chief Kisanda alias Prasant Bose are seeking tostrike at ‘soft targets’ in Odisha, claimed Rourkela-based DIG (WR) YK Jethwa. The DIG said securityforces under him are alert to thwart any nefarious designs. Reports reaching here from Saranda saidthat Jharkhand forces have also stepped up security measures. Yet it would be a real test for Sundargarhdistrict police to keep its vast forest tracts under Sundargarh Sadar, Talsara, Bargaon, Lefripara, Kutra,Rajgangpur, Raiboga, Birmitrapur and Hathibari police limits protected from the Maoists. A few yearsback the Raiboga, Birmitrapur and Hathibari police stations bordering Jharkhand were haunted by theguerillas before they shifted to Saranda. (Indian Express 18/6/12)Maoists recruiting, indoctrinating children: UN (12)New Delhi, June 20, 2012: The Maoist are recruiting and indoctrinating children and had constitutedchildren's squads and associations as part of mass mobilisation, a UN report said. The annual report ofthe UN secretary-general on Children and Armed Conflict, submitted to the Security Council last week,said information has been received on recruitment and use of children by Naxalites, particularly inChhattisgarh and some districts in adjoining states. "Maoist armed groups were recruiting andindoctrinating children, and had constituted children's squads and associations (Bal Dastas, Bal Sanghamand Bal Manch) as part of mass mobilisation," it said quoting official records. The UN said the informationwas supported by a 2010 National Commission for Protection of Child Rights report, which indicated thatchildren were being recruited by Naxals through intimidation and abduction and were used in supportroles, including as lookouts, messengers, porters and cooks. The report also pointed to the recruitment ofchildren by now defunct militia Salwa Judum. The Supreme Court last year ordered disbanding of theanti-Maoist group. Referring to Home Ministry's statistics, the UN report said in 2011, incidents of attackson schools by Maoists continued to be reported and between 2006 and 2011, Maoist armed groupsdestroyed 258 school buildings, mostly in Chhattisgarh, Jharkand and Bihar, of which 21 schools weredestroyed between January and November 2011. The UN report said in January 2011, the Chhattisgarhgovernment conceded that security forces were using 31 schools and the use of schools by the securityforces continued to be reported in various states in 2011. The global body also referred to a governmentof India scheme, Bal Bandhu, which is being implemented in 10 districts of Andhra Pradesh, Assam,Bihar, Chhattisgarh and Maharashtra to address children's needs comprehensively, focusing onprotection, education, health, nutrition, sanitation and safety aspects, including through local communityparticipation. The present UN report, which covers the period from January to December 2011, issubmitted pursuant to Security Council resolution 1998 (2011), by which the Council requested UNsecretary general Ban Ki-moon to submit a report on the implementation of its various resolutions onchildren and armed conflict. The present report provides information on grave violations committed

against children, in particular the recruitment and use of children, sexual violence against children, thekilling and maiming of children, the abduction of children, attacks on schools and hospitals, and the denialof humanitarian access to children by parties to conflict in contravention of applicable international law.(Hindustan Times 20/6/12)71 elected representatives resign due to Naxal threat (12)Gadchiroli (Maharashtra): As many as 71 elected representatives in this East Maharashtra district haveresigned from their posts till now, apparently due to Naxal threat. Talking to reporters here this evening,Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Gadchiroli Zilla Parishad (ZP) Sumant Bhange said 71 electedrepresentatives have resigned in the last one month. Of these representatives, one is Zilla Parishadmember, four Panchayat Samiti members and 66 village Panchayat members, he said. While he did notelaborate on the reason behind the mass resignations, sources said the public representatives have doneso under pressure from Naxals, who have pockets of influence in Gadchiroli, the worst Maoist-affecteddistrict in Maharashtra, which saw a major Naxal attack in March. A dozen CRPF personnel were killed inthe Naxal attack on their bus. Maoists had warned the elected representatives to give up their posts orface dire consequences. Naxals had kidnapped a former ZP member from Etapalli taluka lastmonth.Earlier they had killed a senior NCP leader from Etapalli in broad daylight. In the past, Maoistshave kidnapped several village sarpanches. Some were killed and others were released after warning bythe extremists. (Asian Age 22/6/12)CRPF seeks sophisticated equipment to tackle Naxals (12)NEW DELHI, June 25, 2012: Concerned over Naxals acquiring sophisticated communication equipmentand improving on their fire power, the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) has approached theMinistries of Communications and Information Technology, and Science and Technology, seekingadvanced equipment which includes robotic arms for bomb disposal, software defined radios, portableexchanges, direction finders for wireless sets and satellite tracker for detecting movement of troops. TheCRPF wants to acquire these information and communication technology (ICT) equipment to help itstroops tackle the Naxal problem more affectively in 80 Left Wing Extremism (LWE)-effected districts innine States. According to a senior CRPF officer, recent incidents clearly indicate that Naxals haveacquired more sophisticated communication equipment, while the use of explosives has also gone upwhich led to troops suffering major casualties despite having anti-landmine vehicles. The CRPF, whichoperates in Naxal-affected States in coordination with the State police, wants to improve its resources bypurchasing more advanced equipment and machinery so that they can stay ahead of the Naxals, theofficer added. The list of equipment and resources that have been sought exclusively for the LWEaffectedareas include robotic arms for bomb disposal, deep search mine detector with 1-metre deepcapability and explosive taggants (chemicals mixed with explosives for tracking the source ofmanufacturing). “All these devices for bomb disposal are crucial to fight the growing fire power of theNaxals…these will reduce casualties and help in tracking down the Naxals and those aiding them,” theofficer added. Notably, in his last monthly press conference, Home Minister P. Chidambaram also pointedtowards Naxals using more quantity of high-grade explosives. As a result, security forces deployed in theLWE-affected areas were getting more vulnerable to surprise attacks despite having seen improvement intheir weapons and equipment. Even landmine proof vehicles were getting hit due to increased quality ofexplosives being used by the Naxals, Mr. Chidambaram pointed out. Then the list of advancedcommunication equipment being sought by the CRPF include mobile phone locator and surveillancesystem, portable V-SAT terminal for communication in remote areas, exclusive satellite services for voiceand data communication, light weight satellite phones (handheld with data capability), software definedradio (a computer-based radio set for transmission of encrypted messages in a wide range offrequencies), satellite tracker for detecting movement of troops and, direction finder for wireless sets…..(The Hindu 25/6/12)Maoists kill policeman, blast rail tracks (12)Ranchi: Maoists on Wednesday fired on a patrolling party killing a policeman and blew up tracksdisrupting rail service in Dhanbad district as the 24-hour Jharkhand bandh called by the bannedCPI(Maoist) got underway in the state. The bandh which began at midnight on Tuesday is in protestagainst reported arrest of Maoist cadres in neighbouring Odisha. One policeman was killed and 15 otherswere injured when the Maoists opened fire on a patrolling party at Topchanchi near Grand Trunk road in

Dhanbad district, about 210 km from here, Divisional Commander of the Railway Protection Force ShashiKumar said. He said the injured were admitted to a hospital in Dhanbad. The rebels blasted railway tracksnear Tetulmari in Dhanbad district, disrupting railway services for over six hours, he said and added thetracks were repaired around 7.30 am. The Maoists also blew up the building of Hehegarha railway stationand blasted a stretch of railway lines near the station in Latehar district, about 100 km from Ranchi, headded. (The Hindu 28/6/12)36 Naxals arrested in Andhra Pradesh (12)HYDERABAD: In a major operation, thirty-six Naxals were today apprehended by the CRPF and statepolice from Vishakhapatnam district of Andhra Pradesh. Among those nabbed is top Naxal commanderLambayya who carries a reward of Rs 30,000 on his head. The security forces also seized a number ofweapons and ammunition besides Rs one lakh in cash after the operation. The arrested Naxals havebeen identified as Pangni Mangu (female 18 years) of Palem village, Thambelu Devudu alias LambayyaPedapadu, Thambelu Venkat Rao (22), Kotta Babu Rao alias Chanti (25), Pangi Bheema Raju aliasBheema (22) and Vanthala Ramu alias Ramu (25) of Cheeparu Gonda village. Another 30 cadres havealso been arrested in the operation, security officials said. The joint forces also recovered three .303rifles, three 12-bore rifles and one each of grenade, bulletproof jacket, nine kitbags and Rs one lakh incash. A senior security official said that the forces apprehended these Naxals after a day long operation.(Times of India 1/7/12)Naxal encounter: Activists call it cold-blooded murder, CRPF refutes (12)New Delhi/Raipur: A controversy has erupted over the killing of 19 persons in anti-Maoist operations bysecurity forces in Chattisgarh last week amid questions whether the victims were all Naxals with ChiefMinister Raman Singh on Monday saying the rebels were using humans as "shields". Singh and theCRPF defended the encounter while social activist Swami Agnivesh condemned the incident, claiminginnocent tribals lost their lives in a "cold-blooded murder." The incident was the most brutal sinceindependence, Agnivesh said. CPI(M) demanded a time-bound judicial inquiry into last week's killing byCRPF and state police of 19 people, including a woman and two children, alleging they were eitherbrutally axed to death or killed in "indiscriminate firing".With his government coming under attack from theopposition Congress over the incident, Singh said if any innocent person was killed or injured, then theNaxals must be held responsible for it as they often use innocent villagers as back-up for themselvesduring such gunfight and use them as "human shields".Singh said the Congress should not politicise thematter. The Congress alleged that the incident was a "completely fake encounter" and that the victims"innocent Adivasis." At least 19 suspected Naxals were killed in a fierce gunfight in the dense jungles ofDantewada during the night-long encounter on June 27-28 in a joint operation by over 300 CRPF andstate police personnel in three directions. Rejecting allegations that innocent villagers were killed, UnionHome Secretary RK Singh said six CRPF personnel were also injured in the encounter. He also pointedout that one woman was killed in the encounter and that Naxal outfits had women cadres. Home MinisterP Chidambaram, while interacting with the media in the national capital last week, had identified threeimportant naxals leaders-- Somulu, Nagesh and Mahesh-- who were killed in the gunbattle. The CRPFclaimed its men had retaliated to firing from the rebels. "We never resorted to the firing. It was provokedfrom the other side. We had to protect ourselves after so many were injured in open fire...Twice ourpeople retreated on seeing women and children in the front," CRPF DG Vijay Kumar said. (Zee News2/7/12)Home Ministry ill-informed on Bijapur killings, says Deo (12)New Delhi: Union Tribal Affairs Minister Kishore Chandra Deo has challenged Home Minister P.Chidambaram’s version of the killing of 20 Adivasis in an anti-Maoist operation by security forces inChhattisgarh’s Bijapur district last week. Speaking to The Hindu, Mr Deo said, “I have been gettingfeedback not just from the Congress State unit but also from voluntary organisations that of the 20persons gunned down, half were teenagers and a child who sustained injuries was just four years old.” “Ifthose killed were ‘extremists’,” Mr. Deo asked, “then why were most of them unarmed? No arms wererecovered from them.” The first principle of counter-insurgency was that “you don’t shoot unarmedpeople.” The explanation being put forward that it was dark did not wash as night vision devices wereavailable now, he said. “You cannot fire at random in the dark; it’s inexcusable.” To the Chhattisgarhgovernment’s plea that half a dozen men of the Central Reserve Police Force had been injured as well

and that some of the slain civilians had been used as “human shields” by the Maoists, Mr. Deo’sresponse was sharp: “The State government has not provided protection to the tribals against theextremists. If the tribals are being forced to assemble at some place, must they pay with their lives?” Mr.Deo’s comments come in the wake of Mr. Chidambaram backing the Chhattisgarh government’s versionand its characterisation of all those killed as Maoists, even as the Congress has ordered a party-levelenquiry into the tragic events in Bijapur. Questioned why the Union Home Ministry had backed the Stategovernment’s line, Mr. Deo said, “It’s possible the Ministry hasn’t received the proper feedback.” Thereality, he stressed, was that the tribals were being assaulted by both the security forces and the Maoists:“I have always had my reservations about the notorious Salwa Judum created by the government. It hasresulted in both the security forces and the Maoists using young tribals to kill each other.”While heacknowledged that the law and order aspect of the Maoist problem had to be dealt with, Mr. Deoemphasised that until the government addressed the root of the problem, there would be no solution. Inthis context, the biggest threat to tribals and forest dwellers in the country — apart from the manner inwhich they were being systematically deprived of all sources of livelihood — was the prospect of miningactivity in the areas they lived in. The Forest Rights Act, Mr. Deo said, must be implemented fully beforecommencing mining. “The FRA was the first step to recognise the rights of the tribals over their land. Ifmining begins before you recognise the tribals’ rights over their land, and you simply throw them out, theywill be rendered homeless and stateless.” The government, which was evolving a national mining policy,must therefore ponder over several issues, Mr. Deo said, pointing out that most developed countries wereconserving their natural resources. “We are still in a nascent stage of development and we need toconsider how much of our mineral wealth we need to exploit. If we mindlessly permit mining now, theremay come a time when we don’t have enough for our needs.” Once the government decided how muchneeded to be mined in the national interest, then people living in these areas “from time immemorial mustbe made stakeholders.” It was, therefore, imperative that implementation of “the FRA must precede anymining activity.” (The Hindu 4/7/12)Naxals should shun violence and join mainstream: CRPF (12)GADCHIROLI: The CRPF has appealed to Maoists to shun violence and join the mainstream and hassought the help of media and public representatives on the issue. The NGOs, mediapersons and publicrepresentatives should come forward in helping the police and administration to facilitate the reach ofwelfare schemes to the poor and needy so that their living standard is improved, Anupam Shrivastava,the Commandant of 192 CRPF battalion, said. Calling upon the people to stop supporting the outlaws asthey create hindrances in the way of development, Shrivastava said it is a mispropoganda that the policeand the forces torture the surrendered Naxalites. The ultras should voluntarily surrender as it is alwaysbetter than arrest, he said, adding that the Naxals should not create obstacles in the way of development.He said the Civic Action Programme being carried out by the CRPF is evoking a good response from thepeople and the spirit should continue. The programmes taken up are going to be helpful to the localtribals in a long way, he claimed. Appealing the people to come forward with their complaints, he saidthey were ready to mediate in removing their grievances with the help of local administration. (Times ofIndia 6/7/12)Maoists kill former sarpanch (12)BERHAMPUR, July 8, 2012: Maoists murdered a former nayab sarpanch in Malkangiri district on Fridaynight. The deceased was identified as Gangadhar Chalan, former nayab sapanch of Madulipadapanchayat. His bullet ridden body was found in a forest near Atalaguda under Mudulipada police stationlimits. According to sources, a group of armed Maoists reached the Atalaguda village and took awayGangadhar with them. Later, they killed him nearby forest. His throat was slit open and he was fired atfrom close range. Assailants left behind a letter near the place of murder through which they claimed thatthe deceased was punished as he was a police informer. Malkangiri Superintendent of Police AniruddhaSingh said Gangadhar never had any links with the police. “The nayab sarpanch became victim of hispast relations with the Maoists”, Mr Singh said. It is alleged that Gangadhar was earlier a Maoistsupporter and was helping them through different means. During the last panchayat elections differencesgrew between him and the Maoist organisation. Gangadhar wanted to contest for the post of panchayatsamiti member from his area. But Maoists preferred to support another man closer to them in place ofhim. Gangadhar contested the election against the man who had the support of Maoists, which had irkedthe ultras, police sources said. This is the third murder by Maoists in Mudulipada area in the past few

months. On March 22 Maoists had murdered sub-inspector of Mudulipada police station KrushnaChandra Rath at Khairaput. Rath was shot dead at around 6.15 pm while he was coming out of the policestation to have his evening tea at a roadside kiosk. (The Hindu 8/7/12)Naxals torch construction vehicles (12)SEELERU: Maoists set fire to five vehicles, including a JCB proclainer and a tractor, at Nakkamamidiunder the Balimela police station limits close to Seeleru on Monday. Forty armed Maoists poured petrolon the vehicles belonging to a Pune-based construction company and torched them. The vehicles werebeing used in lay a road from Balimela junction to Malkangiri in Odisha. Before leaving the area, Maoistspasted posters and warned the contractor of dire consequences if the road works were not stalled.Malkangiri division committee led by Gajarla Ravi alleged that the road-widening works were being takenup as part of Operation Green Hunt to target them. The rebels opposing road works in interiors are nowtargeting major road works from Balimela to Malkangiri, which could provide road link to 40 villages,police said. The guerrillas had ambushed personnel of AP Greyhounds in the Balimela reservoir on June29, 2008 in which 37 cops died. (Times of India 11/7/12)It’s “plain slaughter” in Bijapur: rights activists (12)HYDERABAD, July 11, 2012: An all-India, fact-finding team of rights activists has brought out graphicdetails of what it described as the “plain slaughter” of tribals of Sarkeguda and Kottaguda in Bijapurdistrict of Chhattisgarh as the Central Reserve Police Force gave no quarter even to those who survivedits firing on the night of June 28. A report quoted villagers as telling the 16-member team, which visitedSarketuda, Kottaguda and Rajpenta on July 6 and 7, that “those who did not die from the bullet woundswere killed by the police with axes they picked up from the village itself.” Eyewitnesses, includingmediapersons, who saw the bodies, said the victims were brutalised with deep hacking cuts in the chestand forehead, the report said. “I have never seen such butchery in my 25 years’ work in human rights,”said V. S. Krishna, general secretary of the Human Rights Forum, referring to the death of 17 Adivasis inthe firing by CRPF personnel and CoBRA. About 60 Adivasis had assembled around 8 p.m. on June 28 inan open area between Sarkeguda and Kottaguda. As the sowing season was about to begin, they wereto discuss biju pondum , the traditional seed sowing festival, distribution of land for tilling, lending help tofamilies without cattle, deciding rent for a new tractor and arrears of Rs. 10,000 due to them for tendu leafcollection. It was a cloudy night and visibility was poor. A contingent of the CRPF and the CoBRAcommandos, numbering over a hundred, cordoned off the area. At about 10 p.m, there was a burst ofgunfire which hit three Adivasis, killing them instantly. Firing followed from three other directions, sendingthe terrified villagers running and screaming. It continued for about 30 minutes after which the CRPF menfired two flares to light up the area and survey the scene. Sixteen, including six minors, died that nightand one the next day. The 17{+t}{+h}victim was Irpa Ramesh. After the firing began, he ran and made itto the safety of his house and stepped out at dawn to survey the area. He was fired upon immediatelyand, though hit, he managed to get back inside his house. The CRPF men followed him and clobberedhim to death with a brick in front of his wife and three children, and also took away Rs. 5,000 from theirhouse, the report said. The CDRO sought to debunk the CRPF’s attempts to portray the carnage as theresult of an exchange of fire with dreaded Maoists and Union Home Minister P. Chidambaram’s repetitionof this claim. Observing that the plea of ‘self-defence’ was a favourite invocation by police to explain awayextra-judicial killings, the team said there was no exchange of fire; it was one-sided, unannounced andunprovoked. It was plausible that the injuries to six CRPF and CoBRA personnel were caused by firing bytheir colleagues from other sides. (The Hindu 11/7/12)Three abducted tribal persons released (12)BERHAMPUR, July 13, 2012: Three abducted tribal persons of Elangawalsa village under Bandhugaonpolice station limits in Koraput district were released by Chasi Mulia Adivasi Sangh (CMAS) on Thursday.Earlier it was thought that Maoists had abducted them. The statement of CMAS leaders to local mediapersonnel after release of these three persons revealed hands of this controversial organisation in thishostage drama. According to police sources out of the three released tribal people, Kadraka Lachana andKadraka Mali of Elangawalsa village had been taken away by Maoists on Sunday night. The third manRushingi Raju had been taken hostage on Tuesday. According to Sub-Divisional Police Officer (SDPO) ofLaxmipur, Y.Jagannath Rao, all the three hostages were released at around 11a.m. at a remote desertedspot of Bandhugaon block. Although the CMAS claims they have not harmed the hostages yet Lachana is

said to be having head injury. These persons were abducted following arrest of a Maoist supporterKadraka Puala from Elangawalsa on Sunday. Puala was arrested on charges of his involvement in themurder of Enkana Naidu in January. The naxaites had termed him to be a police informer. According topolice sources Puala has confessed of his involvement in Naidu’s murder. On the same evening fivevillagers of Elangawalsa had been abducted. Out of five abducted tribal people, Maoists released threeon Sunday night. But Lachana and Mali were kept hostage. (The Hindu 13/7/12)Alert against J'khand Naxal topguns (12)New Delhi: Even as a major operation against the CPI (Maoists) continues in the jungles of Jharkhand,the intelligence agencies have issued an alert to the State Government to ramp up troop levels given thatsome of the topmost Naxal leaders of the banned outfit are slated to participate in a proposedcongregation shortly and for whom the ultras may have surely put in a place a very strong security cordonand kept a major offensive mechanism in readiness. Following the intelligence inputs, the Union HomeMinistry on Wednesday issued the alert to the Jharkhand Government. According to the inputs, theNaxals under the command of senior CPI (Maoist) leaders Anup Thakur (member of Bihar JharkhandNorth Chhattisgarh special area committee), Nanho Mochi alias Prabhat and Chhotu Kharwar (both Biharregional committee members), Nakul Yadav (zonal commander, Koel Sankh zonal committee), ShyamlalYadav, Yogeshwar Yadav and Umesh Yadav (all sub-zonal level commanders, KSZC) have been noticedon the border of Manika Police Station under Latehar and Panki police station under Palamu district. “Theextremists appear to have congregated for an important meeting scheduled to be held shortly forreviewing organisational affairs, most probably of the BRC, as armed contingents have been requisitionedfrom elsewhere,” said the secret alert sent to Principal Secretary (Home), Jharkhand Government. Thecopy of the alert has also been sent to Director General of Police, Jharkhand and Nodal officer (Naxalmatters) of the State Government. A copy of the alert has also been sent to the CRPF DG for necessaryaction. “Nakul Yadav has moved with his group into the area from his designated field of operation inLohardaga district, while Anup Thakur and his armed associates have come from Burha Pahar, locatedon the tri-junction of Latehar, Garhwa (both in Jharkhand) and Balrampur (Chhattisgarh) districts, duringthe first week of July,” said the alert. The alert further said, “Deo Kumar Singh alias Arvind (centralcommittee member, CPI-Maoist), Umesh Ganjhu alias Birsai (member, BJNCSAC) and Inderjit (companycommander, eastern regional bureau), along with their armed team are scheduled to move from theircurrent location (police station Bhandaria, district Garhwa) near Burha Pahar towards Manika shortly.”Notably, an operation was launched on the night of July 14 on Manika-Panki border by mobilisingpersonnel from CoBRA, CRPF and Jharkhand Jaguar to dismantle these groups. However, the securityforces till so far have not been able to establish any contact with the extremists. Security forces havesince launched a major operation in the jungles bordering Jharkhand and Chhattisgarh. The Centrefurther said, “In view of the large assembly of extremists in the area, that is poised to grow even further, itis requested to induct additional troops and carry out sustained search operations till either establishmentof contact or disintegration of these groups.” Reports, meanwhile, said suspected Naxals have killed atrainee constable under Bhansi police station in Dantewada district of Chhattisgarh. Naxals reportedlyhave also killed six suspected police informers in the State during this month. (Pioneer 19/7/12)30-minute gun battle between Naxals, cops (12)CHANDRAPUR: Naxalites ambushed the joint forces of Gadchiroli police and CRPF in Kaneli jungle inDhanora tehsil on Friday morning. The encounter lasted for around half-an-hour, but no casualty hasbeen reported on either side. Police sources claimed that at around 7.30am a joint combing operationwas underway by CRPF and Gadchiroli police in Kaneli jungle under Pendhri sub-police station when thelurking Naxalites started indiscriminately firing at security forces. Security forces retaliated and gun battlelasted for around 30 minutes. Later Naxalites retreated into the jungle following increasing pressure fromcops. Anti-Naxal operations have been intensified in the area after the incident. (Times of India 21/7/12)Naxals kill abducted youth, tribals upset (12)NAGPUR: Kishor Atram, a youth who was abducted by Naxals from Kamalapur village three days ago,was found dead near a forest office, three kms from Repanpalli police station in south Gadchiroli, onSaturday morning. Atram, in his twenties, was axed to death. It is learnt that Atram invited Naxals' ire afterthey suspected him of passing information to police about their activities. Intriguingly, Atram had been aNaxal supporter earlier. Atram, like other youth from the tribal district, was also trying to get a job in the

police department but had failed despite couple of attempts. According to sources, many job aspirantshave turned police informers after falling prey to false promises of getting favour in recruitmentdrives.Atram working at his village as a Special Police Officer (SPO) is also not ruled out as the policedepartment has been extremely secretive about roping in youth and deploying them as SPO in theirrespective villages. It is learnt that Naxals also held a meeting at the village before abducting Atram.Sources said around half a dozen Naxals in uniform came to the village at 9pm to take Atram with them.The villagers pleaded to spare Atram but the Naxals did not pay any heed. It is learnt that the tribals areupset over failure of the security forces to rescue Atram. "Since Atram's body was found not far from hishouse, it seems the Naxals must have been moving around in the close vicinity of the village. Atram couldhave been rescued if police had taken more efforts," said a villager. According to sources, in the past, too,Naxals killed a couple of youth who participated in the police recruitment drive after they returned to theirvillages. In fact, many such youth are staying away from their villages fearing Naxal backlash, addsources. Gadchiroli SP, Mohammed Suwez Haque said the security forces had information about theabduction and also Naxal presence and an operation was launched too. "It is difficult for us to ensuresecurity of every aspirant as around 52,000 forms were submitted for the recruitment drive. All we can dois to step up patrolling and launch more operations," said Haque. (Times of India 22/7/12)No naxalites' movement in State, says DGP (12)SALEM: “There is no Naxal movement in Tamil Nadu since we are maintaining ‘effective and sustainedvigil’ on our border and hill districts,” said Director General of Police (DGP) K. Ramanujam on Monday.Talking to reporters after chairing a review meeting on law and order and major crimes with senior officersof the Salem range, the DGP, scotching rumours and speculative reports that the State was facing Naxalthreat from neighbouring States, pointed out that stringent action had led to the arrest of some leadersand cadre of the movement in southern districts. “As in Dharmapuri and Krishnagiri districts, we haveraised a Special Anti-Naxal Squad in the south and launched a strong campaign in the villages of Thenidistrict. The STF in the Mettur camp will continue to comb the forests for any suspicious movement. Wemaintain our vigil against anti-socials without any let-up.” On the recent arrest of a Nigerian on thecharges of smuggling narcotics, the DGP said that the police would take action against anyone who brokethe law. He said that patrolling had been increased to prevent thefts and house breaks. The DGP, refusedto comment on the murder of DMK leader and brother of former minister K N Nehru, N. Ramanujam, inTiruchi saying the investigation had been handed over to the CB-CID. On the murder of the DKfunctionary Palani at Thali, he said seven persons had been arrested and six others had surrendered.“investigation is on.” On the recent violence in Neikkarapatti village of Salem district following thecancellation of a temple festival ritual, Mr. Ramanujam said he was told that outsiders had created a lawand order problem forcing the police to resort to lathi charge and bursting of tear gas shells. The villagerswent back on the promise given at a peace committee meeting that they would not conduct the ritual.(The Hindu 24/7/12)Maharashtra CM expresses concern about growing Naxal and terror threat to nation (12)MUMBAI: Terming the situation in naxal hit Gadchiroli as 'serious', Maharashtra chief minister PrithvirajChavan has said that the state government and the centre have been taking a number of steps to curbthe menace of Naxalism from the state. Recently speaking on the sideline of a private function in MumbaiChavan stated that the 'spread of maoist and terrorism' is a concern in the country. Chavan's remarkscome in the back drop of the deteriorating situation in Gadchiroli where naxals have a huge presence. Asmany as 71 elected representatives in Gadchiroli, have resigned from their posts till last month. Theresignations came after the Maoists threatened the elected representatives that they would be killed ifthey did not give up their posts. However, the resignation by the elected representatives was withdrawnfollowing slew of assurances given by home minister R R Patil who is also the guardian minister of theNaxal infected area-Gadchiroli. After a brief lull the naxal violence has been on the upsurge in Gadchiroli,in March this year a dozen Central Reserve Police Force personnel died when their bus was blown up ina land mine blast triggered by the naxals. (Times of India 30/7/12)Naxals take up arms against country liquor (12)NAGPUR: Maharashtra has banned Gutkha and the Naxals in state have banned locally manufacturedliquor 'Gudumba', prepared from jaggery or 'gud'. A banner of the Naxals, found at Jimulgatte in Aheritaluka on the occasion of their July 28-August 3 Martyrs' week, warned the local tribal against making or

trading the brew. In the district that has total liquor prohibition, the cadres of the banned Communist Partyof India (Maoist), better known as Naxalites, now have issued fiat against the liquor. The rebels havewarned the bootleggers stating that continuing the trade may mean death for them. It is learnt the Naxalshad started their campaign against liquor in the district a couple of months earlier. However, they areusing their ongoing bandh and Martyrs week to remind the local population about the ban. After havingransacked some dens of country liquor and thrashing their owners in Dhanora tehsil in northernGadchiroli earlier this year, Naxals turned their attention towards the southern part of the district. Earlierthis year, a bunch of rebels had barged into the home of a local bootlegger in Perimili and also vandalizedhis car. The bootlegger was not at home. The Naxals left the village after firing a few shots on the policestation. A local source from the district analyzed the latest move of the rebels stating that it is aimed athaving a two way impact. "There are allegations that police offer protection to local bootleggers formonetary favours. The Naxals' targeting bootleggers will hit the interests of unscrupulous cops. It will alsoburnish their image of Naxals for fighting a social evil," said the source. It is learnt the Naxals have alsobeen speaking out against making and consumption of liquor in their village meetings too. According to asource, they were issuing not only general threats but also taking specific names urging the villagers topass their message to bootleggers. (Times of India 1/8/12)BSF may train State police in anti-Maoist operations (12)BANGALORE: The Border Security Force (BSF) may train the Karnataka police in combating Maoistswho have started gaining ground in the Western Ghats. Speaking at a function to launch ‘Technologydriventraffic management and enforcement’ programme in Belgaum, Bellary and Gulbarga districts hereon Saturday, Deputy Chief Minister R. Ashok, who holds the Home portfolio, said the BSF had offered totrain the State police, and discussions were on. Speaking to presspersons on the sidelines of theprogramme, Mr. Ashok said the State police were being trained at the Commando Training Centre, nearBangalore, to fight Maoists in the dense jungles of the Western Ghats. The training by the BSF wouldfurther energise them to act swiftly in case of attacks, he said. To a question on the increase in Maoistactivities, he said the government had contained them through pro-people efforts and eliminating theirleaders. However, Maoist operations had gained momentum in recent weeks owing to the infiltration ofleaders from neighbouring States. Mr. Ashok said that under no circumstances would the governmentallow the Maoist movement to grow in the State.To a question on whether the eviction of tribal peoplefrom the Kudremukh National Park area was the reason for the growing Maoist menace, Mr. Ashok saidthe Centre was taking certain steps to protect virgin forests and wildlife, and it was the responsibility ofthe State government to respond to that. Earlier, launching the programme, Mr. Ashok said thattechnology-driven management had helped police personnel to a great extent. Technology had helped inchecking the crime rate , he said. The government, which was spending huge sums on making the policetechnologically advanced, was seeking funds from the Centre for the purpose. Launching the installationof surveillance cameras in Gulbarga, Bellary and Belgaum districts, Mr. Ashok announced that the facilitywould be extended to Tumkur, Mandya, Chitradurga, Udupi, Bijapur and Hassan districts at the earliest.Director-General and Inspector-General of Police Lalrokhuma Pachau was present. (The Hindu 5/8/12)Naxals driving Jharkhand tribals out of their villages, homes (12)Ranchi: Naxals are forcing innocent tribals out of their villages and homes, making them live likerefugees. Shailendra, a contractor from Naxal-affected Kasia Beda village, in Jharkhand's Jamshedpurdistrict, is one such victim. He reveals that from 2003 to 2006, Naxals continuously visited his home andtried to force him to join their outfit. Shailendra resisted and had no option but to migrate to Jamshedpurin 2007, leaving behind his village home and agricultural land. "The Naxals were sending feelers to me asto why I was not joining their organisation. I evaded them, but one day they landed at my home and saidthat people in the area had joined their organisation, and questioned why I was not joining them. I toldthem that it would not be possible for me to join the organisation, as I had a family to support,"Shailendra. Amrita Pater and her family, too, are victims of Naxal atrocities. In 2011, Naxals came to thevillage and brutally killed her husband as they suspected him of being a police informer. The Naxals thendecided to stay back in the village. This forced Amrita to leave the village. Amrita earned her livelihoodfrom agriculture, but that isn't possible any longer. "In 2011, the Naxals killed my husband, accusing himof being a police informer. They also threatened us through posters that we should leave the village. Theposters said the Naxals were going to stay in the village, so we left the village in fear, and since then wehave been living in anonymity," said Pater. There are many people like Shailendra and Amrita who are

victims of Naxal atrocities. In eastern Singhbhum District's Ghatshila division, around 20- 25 families havebeen forced to lead a life of misery because of a fear of Naxals. Naxals claim to be fighting for the poor,but it is ironical that the worst sufferers of their activities are those whom they claim to represent. (ANI)(New Kerala 6/8/12)Allahabad HC grants bail to ‘Naxal’ couple (12)Allahabad: The Allahabad High Court on Monday granted bail to the alleged Naxal couple — SeemaAzad and her husband Vishwavijay Azad — who had been awarded life imprisonment for conspiring towage war against the state by a district court here in June. The court granted bail while taking on recordthe appeal of the petitioners against the district court order. The accused couple, both alleged membersof the banned Communist Party of India (Maoist), had been arrested in February 2010 for their allegedinvolvement in naxal activities. A division bench led by Justice Dharni Dhar Jha granted bail to the coupleafter considering the arguments from both the sides. Senior advocate Ravi Kiran Jain, counsel for thecouple, said: “The court granted bail after we contended that there was no evidence against the two. Wehad already filed our appeal challenging the district court order. The bail plea was part of the appeal inwhich it was prayed that till the pendency of the appeal the petitioners be granted bail.” The defencecounsel further told the court that there was no evidence against the petitioner apart from the so-calledMaoist literature recovered from their possession. It was contended that mere possession of suchdocuments does not amount to waging war against the state. Government counsel Avdhesh Narain Mullacontended that the police had ample evidence against the petitioners and further added that otherfunctionaries of the CPI(M) were arrested at their instance. Following the order, the People’s Union forCivil Liberties (PUCL) welcomed the decision. “We are grateful to the judiciary for granting bail to Seemaand her husband. We realise that they have not yet been acquitted, but we have full faith in judiciary. Wewould be taking up the issue of them being implicated by the officials of the Special Task Force (STF) andthe Allahabad police in a false case,” said Chitranjan Singh, national secretary and State president ofPUCL. (Indian Express 7/8/12)Two CRPF commandos killed in IED blast in Chhattisgarh (12)RAIPUR: Two CRPF commandos were killed in an IED blast triggered by Naxalites in Chhattisgarh'sDantewada district early on Monday. The attack comes just a day after Maoists blew off an anti-landminevehicle killing a CRPF trooper in the same district. A Tata-407 vehicle was blown up killing two CoBRAcommandos on the spot, senior officials said. The commandos, identified as constable K P Singh andMukul Burman, were carrying rations for a CRPF camp nearby when the blast occurred. Senior officialssaid the blast took place near Basuguda, where joint security forces had carried out a controversialencounter last month. (Times of India 7/8/12)Maoists run parallel govt in Andhra-Orissa border areas (12)VISAKHAPATNAM: In what could alarm the state police, Maoists are setting up parallel governments'janata sarkars' in the interior pockets of Andhra-Orissa Border (AOB), buoyed by the success of a similarexercise in the Dandakaranya region of Chhattisgarh. The Gumma area committee in the neighbouringdistrict of Malkangiri in Odisha set up a janata sarkar in the interior villages of AOB on Sunday when therebels distributed rice to 800 tribal families. The rice was reportedly collected from contractors andbusinessmen. They assured the tribals that they would construct cement concrete roads to the interiorvillages and appoint teachers to the schools with their own funds. They also assured the tribals thatmedical facilities in PHCs (public health centre) would be provided by them very soon. Gumma areacommittee secretary Rukdhar, top leader Golla Ravi alias Madhav alias Sridhar along with five other keyleaders were present at the rice distribution programme, sources said. The tribal welfare programmeswould be implemented regularly, Maoist leader Rukdhar said. He said that education was a basicnecessity to develop the tribal areas and stated that he would appoint doctors to provide necessarymedicines to the tribals, who are susceptible to malaria and other water-borne diseases. "All thesefacilities are provided by us in the forests of Dantewada, Bijapur and Sukma districts in Chhattigarh," hetold the gathering. Sources said the Maoists are set to take their sarkar concept deep into the tribalhamlets and mandals in the interior Agency areas on both sides of AOB. Senior police officials said theMaoists' ploy to implement the pro-poor schemes was to win the hearts of the tribals. The Maoists hadlost several cadres and sympathizers, besides militia members in arrests, surrenders and encounters inrecent times. "They cannot risk more damage to the party and hence are wooing the tribals by distributing

ice and other essential commodities," a senior police official involved in anti-naxal operations told TOI.Another officer said the Maoists have been trying to regain their lost ground in the AOB area for the lastthree years. "They want to run the janatan sarkars in the interior pockets to showcase that thegovernment officials do not reach those areas. We have seized some documents which clearly outlinetheir game plans," he said. Sources said the rebels were also successful in unveiling pylons and paintingthe old ones during the just-concluded martyrs' week celebrations. "They did not allow the media to takepictures or video footage of the programmes to avoid arrests or identification by the police," sources said.(Times of India 8/8/12)Forest rights movement bothers Naxals (12)Nagpur: A movement promoting self-rule in villages and community rights to forests has come underattack from Naxals in the region where it was pioneered. Maoists in Gadchiroli have hit out strongly atleaders who have been using the “Gandhian” ideal of non-violence in spearheading the community forestrights (CFR) movement in tribal areas. They have charged Mohan Hirabai Hiralal, who pioneered themodel in Mendha-Lekha village, with “waylaying the tribals from the path of conflict”. CFR has beenprovided by the Forest Rights Act and Mendha-Lekha was the first village in the country to secure it aftera long struggle. It paved the way for thousands of villages in the country to get community rights overtheir traditional nistar (utility) forests. “Hiralal is a follower of Vinoba Bhave, who had sought land from therich. He is trying to cover up the violence by capitalists against the poor by professing non-violence,” saysa press note released by the CPI(Maoist)’s Gadchiroli divisional committee. Naxals have termed themovement a conspiracy to deprive tribals of their rights to the entire jal, jungle, zamin (water, forest, land).“All this is going on to rob the tribals of their jal, jungle and zamin. Instead of giving the tribals all of itentirely, they are trying to fool them by giving only the minor forest produce,” the Maoists have said.Naxals have reportedly warned Devaji Tofa, Mendha-Lekha’s community leader, not to advocate the ideaof CFR to other villages. Tofa refuses to speak on such reports. (Indian Express 9/8/12)CPI (Maoist) expels Panda (12)BHUBANESWAR: With speculation rife about prominent Maoist leader Sabyasachi Panda launching aregional outfit in Odisha, the central committee of the banned Communist Party of India (Maoist) hasexpelled him from the party for anti-party activities. Mr. Panda, who hit the headlines in the aftermath ofthe killing of Vishwa Hindu Parishad leader Swami Lakshmanananda four years ago and abduction of twoItalian nationals a few months ago, was working as secretary of the Odisha State Organising Committeeof the CPI(Maoist) since 2008. In a 16-page letter released last month, Mr. Panda openly declared that hewas completely dissociating himself from the People’s War line and its revolutionary practice, according toa press release issued by CPI (Maoist) Politburo Member Anand on Friday night. “In the mostabominable, crooked and conspiratorial manner, he [Mr. Panda] betrayed the party and revolution and thegreat cause of the toiling masses, particularly the oppressed masses of Odisha and proved himself to bea renegade,” Mr. Anand said in the release. “His 16-page letter is full of rotten lies and distortions. It is anopen secret that he hurled them with the evil and appalling intention of fulfilling his selfish political motivesthat serve the ruling classes,” Mr. Anand said in the release dated July 16. That Mr. Panda haddeveloped differences with the Central Committee of the CPI (Maoist) had become clear recently whenhe released an audio statement describing himself as secretary of the Odisha Maoist Party instead ofsecretary of the Odisha State Organising Committee of the CPI (Maoist). (The Hindu 13/8/12)Chhattisgarh CM vows to crush Maoists (12)Raipur: Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Raman Singh Wednesday sought people's support to crush Maoistguerrillas. Speaking on Independence Day at the Police parade ground here, Singh branded the Maoists"anti-national" and said that their claim of fighting for the poor was falsehood. He sought the support ofthe people in forested areas to isolate the Maoist insurgents. The chief minister said tribal youths weregiven employment in police and other government departments to prevent them from joining the Maoists.Besides, a number of development schemes have been lined up to ameliorate the plight of people livingunder the shadow of insurgency, he added. The Maoists, he said, were "anti-national, anti-constitution,anti-development and anti-humanity".He accused the Maosits of illegalities such as extortion as well assmuggling of drugs, arms and timber. They also committed mindless violence against innocent villagersand security forces, he added. Saluting those who died fighting the Maoists, Singh expressed the hopethat Chhattisgarh will soon overcome the Maoist problem. (IANS) (New Kerala 15/8/12)

Arjun Rampal feels violence is not the answer on Naxal issue (12)Actor Arjun Rampal, who essays the role of a police officer in Prakash Jha's 'Chakravyuh', which is basedon the issue of Naxals, says he was not much aware about the movement of the outlaws till he startedshooting for the film, and believes that violence is not the solution. "I was not that aware about howorganized they (Naxals) are, how strongly it is funded, how rapidly it has come into our country, and whata big war it really is. My character in the film believes that if the system stops working then you don't haveto destroy it but instead repair it," Arjun told reporters here, last night, at the first look of 'Chakravyuh'. "Byviolence, atrocities no one is going to get anything. And that is what the character believes and that iswhat I also believe. I don't think that violence is really the answer," he said. While, shooting for this filmArjun was saddened to see the plight of people living in the interiors. "I have gone and visited the interiorsof India where we have shot and you see the way the villagers are living, its so sad and depressing. Theydon't have water, medicine, hospitals and roads...if we can distribute it well and send it there, it will begreat," he said. "This movie is very important for every Indian to see as it is a war that you cannot escape.And every Indian needs to be aware of this. We hope that we all can together, find a solution which will bethe right solution," he added… (Indian Express 18/8/12)3 naxals held on charges of extortion (12)WARANGAL: The police arrested three naxals belonging to Praja Prathighatana group here on Friday oncharges of extortion. Officer on Special Duty Y.Sayesekhar said they arrested – Mamidi Sreenu ofPugullapally, Esam Nageshwar Rao of Narsiguda and Pittala Ilaiah of Pogullapally of Kothaguda mandaland recovered two SBML guns from them on Thursday. The accused along with Gadipally Rama ofKomatlagudam, Vankudothu Balaji of Ootai, Choppari Venkanna and Vattam Venkanna of Pogullapallyand Chennuri Subhash of Ootai, formed armed squad under the leadership of Gampala Raghupathi aliasMohan, secretary of Praja Prathighatana State committee. They were extorting money from traders andfarmers of Kothaguda area and supplying the same to Mohan. The police were making efforts to arrestthe remaining accused. (The Hidu 18/8/12)Top Maoist leader killed in ‘encounter’ (12)BERHAMPUR: A Maoist commander Teli Kadraka alias Rajendra was killed in an exchange of fire withsecurity forces in Bandhugaon block of Koraput district on Sunday night. Koraput Superintendent ofPolice Abinash Kumar told newsmen here on Monday that the exchange of fire took place near BadaMatturu under Bandhugaon police station limits. Security forces had launched a combing operationfollowing information regarding the presence of a group of armed Maoists. The exchange of fire lastedabout 45 minutes. None of the security personnel involved in the operation was injured. But the Maoistsreceived a major setback. Most of them managed to escape under cover of darkness. They took away theinjured persons along with them, police sources said. When exchange of fire stopped, the security forcesfound the body of Rajendra. The blood marks and other evidences suggested that at least one moreMaoist was injured who had been carried away by the naxalites. A .303 rifle, live ammunition, and 12 borefirearm, empty ammunition pouches, a mobile phone, Maoist literature and banners were recovered bythe police. It is suspected that several other major hardcore armed Maoists of the Narayanpatna andBandhugaon areas were in the group that exchanged fire with security forces. The SP said the slainMaoist was most wanted in Koraput district. After Sitrukami Reddy from Andhra Pradesh alias Sitru, whohad been heading the Jhanjabati-Bandhugaon Area Committee, was killed in an exchange of fire onJanuary 26, Rajendra had taken up the mantle. Rajendra was also area committee member of theSrikakulam- Koraput joint divisional committee. Around 12 cases, including five relating to murder werepending against Rajendra. (The Hindu 21/8/12)NIA files charge sheet against 5 Naxal leaders (12)Kolkata: The NIA on Thursday filed a charge sheet against five Maoist leaders in a special court hereaccusing them of manufacturing local weapons illegally to "intensify the war against the country".The fiveNaxalites, including 'central technical committee' member Sadula Ramakrishna alias SadanalaRamakrishna, Dipak Kumar, Sukumar Mondal, Sambhu Charan and Bapi Mudi were arrested in a jointoperation by the elite anti-Naxal force Greyhounds of Andhra Pradesh and the STF of Kolkata Police inMarch. The National Investigation Agency (NIA) later took over the case. The NIA, in its charge sheet,has charged the five with "entering into a criminal conspiracy to wage war" against the government of

India and being members of the banned terrorist organisation CPI (Maoist). "In furtherance of theirconspiracy, they collected explosive substances, prohibited ammunition, huge amount of money andmade efforts to manufacture area weapons among others in a concealed manner," the NIA said in itscharge sheet filed in the special court. "Several incriminating items recovered from the accused whichincluded cash of Rs. 96,66,755 as the proceeds of terrorism, prohibited ammunition, explosive materials,Maoist literatures, several diagrams and literature on rocket launchers and on other area weapons."Documents connected with the transport of components and assembly tools and materials to Raipurfrom Kolkata and Mumbai, and several finished components of rocket launchers and other area weaponsincluding 69 wooden crates at a godown in Raipur and the recoveries from a workshop established by theaccused in Kolkata," the NIA recorded in its charge sheet. (Hindustan Times 23/8/12)Maoist organisations backing Maruti agitation: Centre (12)NEW DELHI: The Centre on Wednesday said several Maoist frontal organisations and their sympathisershad been supporting the Maruti Suzuki workers’ agitation and had even organised demonstrations aimedat influencing labour unions and workers in Delhi and its adjoining industrial belts. “A number of ‘frontorganisations’ of the banned CPI-Maoist as well as organisations sympathetic to the outfit likeMehnatkash Mazdoor Morcha, Democratic Students Union, People’s Democratic Front of India andCommittee for Release of Political Prisoners have organised demonstrations/agitations supporting thecause of the workers of the Maruti factory. Their objective is essentially to exploit the situation to gain afoothold among the working class in the National Capital region (NCR),” Minister of State for HomeJitendra Singh told the Rajya Sabha. The Minister, however, said there was no intelligence input tosuggest that the violence in the Maruti factory was instigated by Naxals. Notably, the brutal killing of aMaruti Suzuki top executive and the attack on other managers by agitating workers at its Manesar plantprompted the Ministry of Home Affairs to ask the Haryana police and intelligence agencies to probe intothe possibility of Maoists’ hand in the entire agitation. “The Maoists have a plan of action which integratestheir activities into a pan-India framework. However, till now, they have failed to make any significantheadway in the urban areas of India primarily on account of the revulsion of the urban population towardsmindless violence and atrocities perpetrated by the Maoists in their strongholds in central India,” Mr.Singh added. Meanwhile, in reply to another question, the Minister said Maoists had adopted newstrategies, which include using women and children as human-shields during exchange of fire withsecurity forces. They were “using terrorist tactics like kidnappings to get their cadres released and areattempting to link-up with northeast insurgent outfits for supply of arms and ammunition,” he noted.Naxals are increasingly using area weapons such as mortars, Molotov cocktails through country-madelaunchers, and better communication equipment smuggled from abroad. They are also deploying small“action-teams” for select assassinations and jan militia members for IED-based warfare, raising funds byencouraging opium/ganja cultivation, resorting to brutality like beheading while killing police informers and“class-enemies,” Mr. Singh added. (The Hindu 23/8/12)MHA row with plan body over Naxal area aid (12)The Union home ministry has locked horns with the Planning Commission over the Integrated ActionPlan, a key initiative of the UPA government to bridge development deficits in backward areas,particularly the 35 worst Naxal-affected districts in the country. The MHA rejected the Plan body’s move toscrap the scheme, which gives “untied” money to collectors in these areas to push development projects.The commission feels the scheme is not yielding results, and the money should be routed throughpanchayats. The ministry is expected to seek Prime Minister Manmohan Singh’s intervention to resolvethe standoff. MHA officials feel panchayats are largely non-existent in the worst-hit areas, and in somethey are indirectly controlled by the Maoists.(Asian Age 24/8/12)Maharashtra police appeals Maoists to surrender (12)Nagpur: Maharashtra police has appealed to the Maoists to surrender and assured them that all possiblehelp would be provided to the surrendered Maoist cadres. The appeal was made through a statementissued by the office of the Superintendent of Police (SP), Gadchiroli on Friday, According to the police,seven Maoists have surrendered in last eight months in Gadchiroli district. These surrendered Maoistsare Nirmala Kulmethe, Sukhram Madavi and Mangesh Atram of Kohakameta LOS Dalam of Maoists,Damaji Dugga and Kishor Madavi of Perimili Dalam, Chanda Uike and Ranuka Dhannuti of platoon 14.According to the police, all these Maoists were fed up with “Jungle life and arrogance of the top Maoist

commanders”. They were misdirected to believe in violent revolution and some them were forciblyinducted into the Dalam. All of them surrendered to the police to live a better life. Police appeal to allthose Maoists who were forcibly inducted into Maoist movement or they went into it by mistake, tosurrender. The police and the government are committed to rehabilitate the surrendered Maoists andthose who wish to surrender, said the statement. (The Hindu 24/8/12)Security agencies unmoved by Naxal audio-visual propaganda (12)NAGPUR: The security agencies engaged in anti-Naxal operations seem to be viewing the audio-visualpropaganda of Naxals, presently making the rounds in the form of clippings on mobile phones in the redstronghold of Gadchiroli, as nothing different than regular party activities. The clippings highlight therebels' dream to capture power in the country and also see their red flag fluttering atop the Red Fort. Butthe agencies are not attaching much significance to the propaganda clips and have not even alerted theircounterparts in New Delhi. The clippings, which already reached media houses too, are not consideredthreatening by senior officials. They claim that the contents are nothing new. The clippings have dramaticand bold visual graphics showing the Indian map with regions where the reds have established'domination'. The series of images culminate in an Indian map in red with the rebels' symbol at the heart.The lyrics of the background track in Madia dialect of Central India urges the guerrilla comrades to gatherstrength to fight the capitalist enemies, who want to target the land, forest and water of the tribal people.While the revolutionary songs try to boost the morale of rebel fighters, their 'revolutionary' battles arehighlighted with images of guerrillas in action during training and their sacrifices. The exploits of theNaxals at Rani Bodli in Chhattisgarh, where 55 policemen were killed and the post was looted in 2007,were among the highlights. The clippings also boast of defeating government sponsored concepts likeSalwa Judum in Chhattisgarh. The presentation also demands halting of the ongoing Operation GreenHunt in the Naxal strongholds. The work of senior and martyr cadres like Anuradha Gandhy, referred toas Jankidevi, and Patel Sudhakar was also highlighted. "Around a week ago we had got hint of theclippings making the rounds in the district. Naxals frequently resort to propaganda in different forms, andthe latest one is also part of such activities," said deputy inspector general of police, Naxal range,Ravindra Kadam. The experienced officer said the propaganda material was circulated in Bhamragarhtaluka also, where agencies were able to get some copies of it. Inspector general of police Anup KumarSingh, heading the state Anti-Naxal operation (ANO) cell, too categorically said his unit has not forwardedthe material to any other agency as it does not add to the threat perception. (Times of India 28/8/12)NIA team takes remand of Naxals held in Hazaribagh (12)Hazaribagh: A member team of Nation Investigative Agency (NIA) on Saturday reached Hazaribag andtook Anil Yadav and Praffula Malakar on remand. The two dreaded Maoists were arrested by the policycouple of days ago with huge cache of arms from the jungles of Chauparan. The haul also includedforeign made rifles and pistols suggesting a well-knit nexus of foreign players with the Maoists. Informingthis, Hazaribagh SP Manoj Kaushik said that the team had taken the duo on seven days remand andwould be probed for their foreign connection. “We had arrested them, now a team of NIA reached here onSaturday and took them on seven days’ remand,” said the SP. The Hazaribag police had arrested themon the basis of intelligence inputs from the jungles of Silodar in Chauparan. Several foreign madeweapons and accessories including an automated rifle, Colt M-16 loaded with 14 rounds of 5.56 mm wereseized. The rifle had been used by the US Army. An Italian made 9mm pistol with 2 rounds and a bulletproofjacket made by Armorshield Ltd., Manchester, UK, a sum of 9 lacs and 4 cellphones had also beenrecovered. Anil Yadav has been the armoury in-charge of CPI (Maoists) of Bihar and Jharkhand whereasPraffula Malakar is an arms supplier. Praffula Malakar during the interrogation had reportedly confessedthat he had recently supplied four AK-47 rifles, two AK-56 rifles and three other self loading rifles to AnilYadav. (Pioneer 1/9/12)Maoists attack police in Gadchiroli (12)Nagpur: Maoists attacked a team of Gadchiroli police near Kurkheda forest on Friday, which resulted inan exchange of fire in the forest area. No causalities were reported. A special team of Gadchiroli policeheaded by the Sub Divisional Police Officer (SDPO) was carrying out a search operation in the Gangin-Betkathi forest in Kurkheda sub-division on Friday night. The Maoists fired indiscriminately on this teambetween 9.30pm to 10 pm, police sources said. When the police returned fire, the Maoists managed to

escape taking advantage of thick forest. There was no report of any casualty from either side, accordingto the SP’s office. The police have intensified the anti-Naxal operation in this area after the encounter.(The Hindu 1/9/12)Naxal threat, Assam violence top security review agenda (12)New Delhi: Prime Minister Manmohan Singh will next week review the security situation in the countrywith top police officers at a high-level conference in the backdrop of fresh statistics that indicate thenumber of districts under naxal influence had increased over the last one year. Recent violence in Assamand subsequent exodus of north eastern people from different parts of the country, threats posed byactivities in cyber world, increased infiltration attempts from across the Indo-Pak border and ongoingoperations against Maoists will be high on the agenda during the three- day conference beginning hereon September 6. But the conference, the first to be attended by home minister Sushilkumar Shinde, willbe an opportunity for the new minister to articulate his position on the key internal security challenges.This is particularly true of the government's policy on naxalism, something that has undergone a nuancedshift during P Chidambaram's stint as the home minister who recognised that security had to precededevelopment in these areas. The conference also comes at a time when fresh statistics indicate thegovernment's success in reducing the number of districts under naxal control might have been toooptimistic. According to the home ministry, the number of districts under naxal influence had declinedfrom a high of 223 districts in 2008 to a little over 180 in 2011. The government, however, recently revisedits assessment and declared that 203 districts were under the influence of naxals. This list includes threenortheastern states Arunachal, Assam and Tripura. (Hindustan Times 3/9/12)ANF men exchange fire with Naxals (12)MANGALORE: There was a brief gunfight between the Anti-Naxal Force and Naxals at Subrahmanya onSunday after Naxals opened fire at the personnel. While none of the Anti Naxal Force (ANF) men washurt in the gunfight, casualties on the other side are not known yet. The ANF team had been camping inthe area after receiving confirmed reports that there was naxal movement in Subrahmanya. They hadeven visited a house in the area a few days ago. ANF IGP Alok Kumar said the naxals, about three tofour in number, sensed trouble when they were about 30-40 metres away from the ambush point andopened fire at the force. The ANF team returned fire and lobbed grenades. But the naxals escaped.(Times of India 3/9/12)Fake Naxals arrested in Guntur (12)GUNTUR: In a major crack down, police nabbed at least 11 fake Naxalites on Tuesday. Police recoveredone double-barrel gun, 16 rounds of live bullets and a toy gun from the possession of the pseudoNaxalites, who were aggressively involved in extortion and civil settlements in the Palnadu region. Givingdetails, Guntur rural SP J Satyanarayana said that the gang of extortionists had been threatening thelocals and collecting huge sums in the name of 'Janasakti' for the last few months. He said the offendershad also been resorting to settling civil disputes by issuing life threats to those who refused to take theirdiktat. The SP said the fake Naxalites had visited Dachepalli, Gurazala, Piduguralla and neighbouringvillages in Nalgonda district to extort money. S Balu Naik, S Nagamani, S Bujji Naik, S Bhaskar Naik,Banavath Mantru Naik, Bhukya Anji Naik, Bhukya Narsimha Naik, Chinna Naik, Prasad Naik, Ranga Naikand Kuncha Venkat were among those arrested. (Times of India 5/9/12)MHA concerned at Maoists acquiring modern weapons (12)NEW DELHI: The recovery of sophisticated M16 rifles, the primary weapon of U.S. armed forces, andother modern arms and ammunition from Maoists in Jharkhand a few days back has set the alarm bellsringing in the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) as it indicates the opening of “the northeast arms supplyroute” to left-wing extremists. Stating that soon a full-fledged inquiry would be initiated by the NationalInvestigation Agency into the inter-State nexus, and the international links, a senior MHA official saidthere were reports of Maoists approaching the Manipur-based People’s Liberation Army (PLA) forsourcing sophisticated arms and ammunition to take on the security forces that have been acquiringmodern arms themselves. “In 2009, an agreement was signed between top Maoist commanders andleaders of PLA [the armed wing of the Revolutionary People’s Party] where it was decided that the latterwould supply arms and ammunition to Maoists … it seems that this northeast route has now beenactivated,” the official noted. Apart from the M16 rifle, the recent seizure from the Silodar forest along the

Jharkhand-Bihar border include AK56 assault rifle (a first from Maoists), four pistols and one heavy-duty,U.K.-made bulletproof vest. The M16 rifle, manufactured by Colt Defense, carried the ‘U.S. Army property’mark on it and is the first U.S.-made weapon confiscated by the Jharkhand police. Elaborating how thisdevelopment was of serious concern for the Centre, the State governments and the paramilitary forcesfighting the Maoists, the official said: “In recent years, Maoists have not been able to snatch arms andammunition from State police and paramilitary personnel. With their armoury drying up and country-madeweapons not sufficient to fight the security forces, the Maoists have been approaching the northeastbasedinsurgent groups for supply of arms, ammunition and other items besides communicationequipments.” The official said the left-wing extremists have also sought “area weapons” like rocketlaunchers and mortars from the northeast insurgent groups to add to their firepower. “These weapons aremainly sourced from Pakistan, Afghanistan and China but are supplied through the porous Myanmarborder,” the official added. (The Hindu 5/9/12)Maoists creating corridor along Western Ghats: police (12)Mangalore: An increase in Maoists’ activities in Dakshina Kannada indicated that the Left extremists wereworking towards their plan of creating a corridor along the Western Ghats from the northern tip toWayanad in Kerala, a police officer, who had served in the region, said. The officer, now on centraldeputation, said that in 2006 the Maoists group devised the plan to spread their activities in the WesternGhats. The increase in the number of sighting of Maoists in Dakshina Kannada indicated the creation ofthat corridor, he said. “It is a matter of concern. There are reports of Maoist groups recruiting people fromTamil Nadu and Kerala. They have planned to spread till Wayanad,” he said. The officer said the Maoistactivities in Dakshina Kannada were earlier restricted to higher reaches of Belthangady taluk. TheMaoists were now seen adopting an organised approach for achieving their objective. “They areconducting many training camps. Some of them have been busted by the police,” the officer said. Anothersenior officer, who was involved in many anti-Naxal operations, said that unlike Maoists operating inAndhra Pradesh and Jharkhand, the groups operating in the region had not been involved in overtactivities and attacks. The Maoist groups here had not been able to establish their base here despiteoperating in the region for more than 10 years, the second officer said. At least three groups of Maoistswere said to be active in Karnataka. One group was led by B.G. Krishnamurthy and the second one wasled by Vikrama Gowda, said the officer. The third one was less active, and its leader was not known, hesaid. Inspector-General of Police (Western Range) Pratap Reddy said recent encounters, including theone in Mittabagilu in Belthangady in March and near pilgrimage centre Srigeri, pointed to operations byMaoists from Tamil Nadu and Kerala. He said there was not much support for these groups from localpeople. The police were receiving information about Maoists presence from people, which was helping inbusting their designs. (The Hindu 8/9/12)Firing on policeman: Two Maoists among 7 held (12)Hyderabad: Two Maoists were among seven people were arrested here on Monday for allegedly firing ona police official in Andhra Pradesh's Khammam district, police said. The Maoists are identified as M.Chukka and Makkammudda, they said. The duo was part of a 150-member Naxal group fromChhattisgarh which fired on a police official belonging to Mothugudem in May. The sub-inspector hadescaped unhurt. Meanwhile, a joint team of police and CRPF personnel arrested five persons, who usedto act as couriers for Naxals, during a vehicle checking near Dummugudem area while they were movingon bikes, a senior police officer said. Fifty gelatin sticks, Rs. 40,000 cash, some medicines, snake antivenomand five cell phones were recovered from their possession, he said. (Asian Age 10/9/12)Is the Centre correctly assessing Maoist situation? (12)HYDERABAD: Security personnel inspect the wreckage of a police vehicle that was destroyed in anexplosion when Maoists ambushed a patrol party in Gadchiroli district of Maharashtra in March, 2012.AP Security personnel inspect the wreckage of a police vehicle that was destroyed in an explosion whenMaoists ambushed a patrol party in Gadchiroli district of Maharashtra in March, 2012. NEWS ANALYSISPM’s statement that seven States are naxal-affected is at variance with Home Ministry’s figure How manyStates are affected by left-wing extremism? The answer could vary, if one is to go by official statementsmade at different times. Addressing the annual conference of the DGPs/IGPs in Delhi on Saturday, PrimeMinister Manmohan Singh said seven States were affected. He spoke about the “ability of left-wingextremists in increasing their numbers and enhancing their military potential and entrenching themselves

in some areas of the seven affected States… is and should be a cause of worry.” While it is notimmediately known what parameters the PMO considered to arrive at the figure, the Naxal ManagementDivision page on the Home Ministry’s website (http://bit.ly/PVMbf4) puts the number at nine. To beprecise, it talks about 106 most-affected districts in nine States being given special attention in planning,implementation and monitoring of various schemes to counter the left-wing extremism. Furthermore, theHome Ministry’s annual report for 2011-2012 (page 30) maintains that nine States are witnessingviolence. However, as recently as on August 29, 2012, Minister of State for Home Jitendra Singh told theRajya Sabha that 84 districts in 12 States were affected by Maoist violence, while Maoist frontorganisations was active over-ground in 119 districts (in 20 States). How do these figures vary? Is theCentre correctly assessing the field situation in different States is the question left unanswered. Theclassification of areas or districts or States affected by Maoist activity is very crucial as it forms the basisfor counter-insurgency strategies and tactics. Maoist ideologues scale up or scale down the revolutionaryactivity, depending on the field conditions, thus making it too complex for the States to respond quickly.For example, if the revolutionary movement is in a strategic offensive stage in the Bastar forests ofChhattisgarh, it could be in a strategic equilibrium stage in Bihar and a strategic defensive stage in Delhi,Tamil Nadu or Kerala. Deployment of the Central forces or initiation of schemes for accelerateddevelopment will largely depend on the correct assessment of the stage of the revolutionary movement.This is where security planners could go wrong in finalising the strategies and tactics, if they are todepend on a faulty assessment of the field situation. What are the parameters for classifying a district or aState as Maoist-affected? Districts are classified into two categories — “affected” and “under left-wingextremism influence.” The crucial parameter for classifying a district as “affected” is violent activities byMaoist outfits. If over-ground activity of front organisations is witnessed, that district is put in the categoryof “under left-wing extremism influence,” Mr. Jitendra Singh told the Rajya Sabha in answer to anunstarred question (no. 1943) on August 29. He also gave some statistics. There were 84 districts (in 12States) which witnessed Maoist violence. Of these, 50 districts saw “moderate to high levels of violence.”The number of districts under the influence of left-wing extremism was put at 119 (in 20 States). In effect,the Centre accepted that Maoist activity had spread to 203 out of the 659 districts. Interestingly, sevendistricts of Delhi — central Delhi, New Delhi, south Delhi, north-west Delhi, south-west Delhi, north andnorth-east Delhi — were “under LWE influence.” In Tamil Nadu, Dharmapuri, Chennai, Krishnagiri,Madurai, Namakkul, Salem, Vellore districts figure on this list. (The Hindu 12/9/12)'Naxals, terror groups in state are Maha worry': PM (12)MUMBAI: A day after prime minister Manmohan Singh observed that stepped up naxal violence andenhanced threat from terrorists is a cause of worry, chief minister Prithviraj Chavan and union agricultureminister Sharad Pawar independently reviewed the law and order situation in the state. Addressing theannual conference of DGPs, Manmohan Singh had observed that the ability of left wing extremists togradually increase their numbers, enhance their military potential and entrench themselves in some areasof the seven affected states is a cause of worry. Similarly, threat from terrorism in the hinterland continuesto be a cause of worry, although 19 interdictions have taken place, terrorists were able to strike inMumbai and Delhi last year and in Pune this year. According to reports, the PMO had submitted acomprehensive note on terror attacks and naxal attacks in Maharashtra to Sharad Pawar. It was broughtto his notice that naxal-infested Gadchiroli district has achieved a dubious distinction of being among thefirst three worst affected districts across the country. Taking cognisance of the note, Pawar hadsummoned state home minister R R Patil and high ranking IPS officials to New-Delhi on the measures tobe taken to tackle naxalism, nearer home, Chavan too had a marathon discussion with R R Patil andsenior police officials. Certainly, it's a matter of concern and worry for the law enforcing agencies.However, we feel that on the incidents of naxal violence, the PMO was provided with inadequateinformation. We have submitted comprehensive information not only to Pawar and Chavan, but even toPMO too. Ofcourse, facts remains that we will have to step up our vigil at all levels,'' a senior IPS officialtold ToI on Thursday. Elaborating on the situation in the naxal infested Gadchiroli district, the IPS officialsaid, no doubt stringent measures have been taken to take on the naxalites, but tangible results were notvisible and there was complete political vacuum in the entire district. In last 15 years, there is absolutelyno development in the entire region. Well over 250 elected representatives have resigned in the wake ofmounting pressure from naxalites. We have not been able to halt the ever increasing naxal influence inthe area,'' he said…. (Times of India 14/9/12)

Deals with Naxals: In Red Zone, keeping it grey (12)The arrest of the CEO and eight employees of a Hyderabad-construction firm on charges of supplyingexplosives to Maoists in Orissa last week was surprising in only one aspect: the involvement ofexplosives. In the Red belt of Orissa, Chhattisgarh, Maharashtra and Andhra Pradesh, deals betweenMaoists and companies implementing infrastructure work are an open secret. If talking or negotiating withMaoists is no longer taboo, the latter too have lost their “distaste” for any government activity, which atone time stretched to smashing streetlights. With the Centre and states pouring funds into infrastructureworks in Naxal areas, both sides see an opportunity to make money: the companies by getting thecontracts, and the Maoists by armtwisting them to pay up. The “negotiations” are helped by the fact thatthe talking heads on both sides are likely to be speaking Telugu: 90 per cent of the companies awardedcontracts to build roads, small dams and irrigation projects in Orissa, Chhattisgarh and Maharashtra areowned by those from Andhra Pradesh, while most of the Naxal cadres too belong to the state. Andhrafirms learnt to work with Maoists at a time when 21 of the 23 districts in Andhra were Naxalite-affected,and these “skills” — police officers who work with anti-Maoist agencies vouch — come in handy to strike“win-win” deals. The going rate generally is 2-3 per cent of the cost of the project. Till 2001-02, Maoistsbased in north Telangana districts mostly made their money — in thousands — from ‘Tendu’ leafcontractors. In 2004, they turned to civil contractors, setting fixed amounts area wise. Now the deals areworth lakhs, and in at least in one instance, Rs 1.5 crore. The Orissa arrests last week were perhaps thefirst known instance of explosives changing hands. (Indian Express 20/9/12)100 kg explosives seized from Maoist camp in Chhattisgarh (12)RAIPUR: About 100 kg of explosives and other material were recovered during raid at a Maoist camp inBijapur district of Chhattisgarh on Thursday, police said. Acting on a tip-off, a joint team of CentralReserve Police Force and state police raided two hutments serving as a Maoist camp in the forest areanear Neelmadgu village under Farsegarh police station area, Bijapur SSP R K Das said. During the raid,100 kg explosives, 150 detonators, wires, tools for repairing weapons, some cartridges and a largenumber of rexine bags were recovered, Das said. The explosives were destroyed by the police team inthe forest itself, he said. The ultras had fled the camp by the time police reached there, he said addingthat a campaign has been launched to nab them. The CRPF and state police had been conducting a jointanti-naxal operation in the Farsegarh area of the state for the last three days, the SSP added. (Times ofIndia 21/9/12)Two Maoists including woman surrenders before police (12)Keonjhar: Two Maoists, including a woman cadre, surrendered before police in Odisha's Keonjhar districton Monday. The duo were active cadres in neighbouring Jharkhand and members of the MaoistCommunist Centre (MCC), Superintendent of Police, Aniruddha Kumar Singh, said. Identified as MochhiLugun alias Munda (32) of Murusuan village in Keonjhar district, he was close associate of GungaMunda, a top cadre of Chhotanagpur division of red rebels. Mochhi joined the out-lawed outfit tostrengthen the activities in Keonjhar district, the SP said. The woman cadre, Munkhi Munda alias Muni(30), hails from Jhirpani village of Sundargarh district. She is the wife of Gunga, who joined the cadre toundertake various Maoists activities. They will be provided with government assistance as perrehabilitation policy, Singh said. The duo revealed that both of them were wooed by the Maoists whoalways told them about the "police excess and torture meted out towards tribals." They, however,returned to the main stream after knowing the truth. During the last three years, a total of 28 Maoistactivists including the recent pair have surrendered before the police the SP said. (Zee News 25/9/12)Centre may challenge ‘political prisoner’ status for Maoists (12)NEW DELHI: The Union Government is likely to challenge a Kolkata court’s declaration of nine suspectedNaxalites arrested by the National Investigation Agency (NIA) in an illegal arms manufacturing case as“political prisoners”. Sources in the Union Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) said the government has nooption but to challenge the verdict as more arrested Maoists would now seek the same status. Thejudgment was also a big letdown for the security forces, who were living in difficult conditions and ininhospitable terrain while fighting armed revolutionaries, the sources said. The status of “political prisoner”entitles an inmate several privileges over other prisoners as he will get to live in a separate cell and enjoygreater freedom inside jail, besides getting access to home-made food, newspapers, books and otherreading material. There will be relaxation in meeting relatives and advocates. Significantly, in August, the

Kolkata High Court had declared eight suspected Maoists, including Communist Party of India (Maoist)-backed leader Chhatradhar Mahato, as “political prisoners.” The MHA is deeply worried over granting of“political prisoner” status to those arrested by the NIA for their alleged involvement in killings or supplyingarms, which includes CPI (Maoist) technical committee head Sadula Ramakrishna alias RK. The NIAmight be asked to challenge the order soon. “According such a status to a hardened criminal who iswaging war against the state is unacceptable… it will set a wrong precedent. Already a few suspectedMaoists are on hunger strike in Maharashtra jail demanding that they also be declared political prisoners.It will also severely affect the morale of our security forces who sacrifice their lives fighting these antinationalelements,” said a senior MHA official. However, public opinion is divided over the Court ruling.While social activist Swami Agnivesh, who in the past has negotiated with Maoists for the government,said it would help the government in its peace efforts, former Border Security Force (BSF) Director-General Prakash Singh said the government should immediately challenge the order as it would onlystrengthen left-wing extremism. “Challenging the order will be a mistake… here is an opportunity for thegovernment to tell Maoists that they too would be treated with dignity inside jails. This move will letMaoists trust the Constitution and Indian laws. They are also part of our society and all efforts should bemade to bring them back to the national mainstream. The government should accord the same status toall Maoists lodged in various jails across India,” said Swami Agnivesh. However, ex-BSF chief PrakashSingh warned that if the government failed to stop the trend, it would be an invitation to other Maoists totake up arms and intensify their movement. “We cannot generalise the situation… those who supportMaoists ideologically through their write-ups and peaceful protests can be treated as political prisoners,but how can a person responsible for killing security personnel and innocent people be given specialstatus inside jails,” he said. (The Hindu 27/9/12)Naxals abduct two villagers in Gadchiroli (12)Nagpur: The Naxals have abducted two villagers in Gadchiroli district of Maharashtra, but no complainthas been lodged with the police. According to sources, Ramaji Madavi of Kumargunda village and KopaDurva of Tekala village in Bhamaragad division went missing few days ago. Around ten to twelve Naxalscame to Kumargunda village at around 3 am, eight days ago, and took Ramaji Madavi with them. Theillagers kept quiet about the incident due the fear of the ultras but when Mr. Madavi did not return evenafter a week; villagers informed the local media about the incident, sources said who wished to remainanonymous. However, the abduction of Kopa Durva of Tekala village was confirmed by some policesources. “Around 30 to 40 Naxals came to village and took Kopa Durva with them” police sources toldThe Hindu. According to Bhamaragad Sub Divisional Police Officer (SDPO) Mr.Vijay Sagar said nocomplaint regarding the abductions has been lodged at the respective police stations. (The Hindu28/9/12)Naxal menace growing in India: VK Singh (12)FAIZABAD: Former Army chief General VK Singh said Naxalism is spreading fast in the country; against50 Naxal-affected districts in 1990, today 270 districts are under Red-terror. He said if situation remainsthe same then Naxalism will grow at a faster pace. Singh was addressing a seminar organised by themilitary science department at Saket PG College here on Sunday. He blamed economic disparity for therise in Naxalism. Speaking on the national economic policy, the former Army chief said the growing dividebetween the haves and haves not should be bridged. Singh exhorted NCC cadets and students to join thefight against corruption. "Lord Hanuman will not come to end corruption, it's we who have to wage a fightagainst it," he said. Speaking on communalism, General Singh said one should learn the lesson ofsecularism from Indian armed forces where country comes first and not the religion or caste. The formerArmy chief alleged that during elections all political parties select candidates on the basis of caste andreligion and added that such measures weaken the democratic system. (Times of India 1/10/12)Chhattisgarh: Naxals attack police station with a rocket launcher (12)Last Updated: Tuesday, October 02, 2012, 23:02 0 0Tags: Naxals, Sukma district, Chhattisgarh, rocketlauncher, police station Raipur: Naxals fired a rocket launcher at a police station in Sukma district ofChhattisgarh on Tuesday, which missed the target and failed to explode, police said. The incident tookplace at the Golapalli police station in the Naxal-infested Sukma district. Sukma Superintendent of PoliceAbhishek Sandilya told PTI that the ultras tried to fire a rocket launcher at the Golapalli police station.However, since it missed the target, there was no damage as well as casualties in the incident. Shandilya

added that police personnel posted at the station heard a loud sound around half a kilometre away andlater spotted smoke coming from the site. According to him, police teams were immediately sent to thesite, however, by that time the Naxals had fled from the spot. The police officer said that this was for thefirst time that a police station had been attacked with a rocket-launcher like object. Police suspect that theNaxals were just trying to test fire. Police teams have been sent to trace the miscreants. Meanwhile, in aseparate incident, a woman rebel was killed by security forces in Bijapur district, police said. BijapurSuperintendent of Police Prashant Agrawal said that the woman Naxal was shot dead during a gunfight atOutpalli village under Basaguda station jurisdiction. According to Agrawal, when a Central Reserve PoliceForce (CRPF) battalion reached Outapalli village, the Naxals opened fire. However, the woman Naxalwas gunned down, when the security forces retaliated in self-defence. (Zee News 3/10/12)Naxal-affected Tundi teachers protest, seek transfers .(12)Dhanbad: The primary teachers of Naxal affected and remote block Tundi of district Dhanbad took out aone-day protest and demanded for their translocation on Tuesday. The teachers claimed that they havesubmitted the request letter for their transfer twice to the deputy commissioner and also to the districtSuperintendent of Education since July 2011, but their demands were not answered. They also claimedthat they were not transferred to their preferred region even after getting positive response from officer,“We also submitted our request letter to education minister, but all in vain,” said Omprakash Gupta, aprimary teacher. “After losing all hope we are forced to take this protest,” he added. The primary teachersraised their arrays of demands in the course of their protest, which includes translocation of postedprimary teachers from Tundi to preferred region, posting of primary teachers from the town to Tundi,making a regulation containing five years compulsory service of teachers at Tundi and providing remoteregion allowance to those posted at inaccessible zone of district. (Pioneer 3/10/12)Are Naxals political prisoners? Kolkata court decides today (12)New Delhi: A special NIA court in Kolkata will on Thursday decide the pleas of nine alleged Maoistsseeking the status of political prisoners. The National Investigation Agency (NIA) arrested the accusedfollowing the seizure of a large amount of cash and sophisticated rocket launchers. The NIA took over theprobe from the West Bengal Police Special Task Force in February 2012. In its order of September 25,the special court of A K Mondal had said, “It appears that some question of law... is required to beclarified. No time today. The hearing is deferred to October 4, 2012.” The alleged Maoists had asked thespecial court on September 7 “...to declare (them) as political prisoners and... direct Home authority... totreat them as political prisoners within the ambit of West Bengal Correctional Services Act, 1992...” Thepetition followed a ruling by Calcutta High Court Justice Kanwaljit Singh Ahluwalia on August 8, givingstatus of political prisoners to seven alleged Naxals who had filed a criminal revision petition inconnection with cases registered against them in 2009. The NIA opposed the plea before the specialcourt, arguing that the nine were members of the banned CPI (Maoist), and that five of them had beenchargesheeted under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act and Indian Penal Code. “The NIA hasvehemently opposed the plea of the nine... In case the court grants them the status of political prisoners,we will appeal,” a home ministry official said. Plea against CBI move to close CMO death case (IndianExpress 4/10/12)Maoist ban on marriage, sex drives cadres out of rebel fold (12)Ranchi: Life without marriage and sex can be frustrating – even for a rebel with a cause. For theCPI(Maoist) its ban on the union between man and woman is becoming a big worry. Scores of youths aredeserting it to go to splinter outfits or surrendering to join the mainstream, a former Maoist told HTrecently. The large-scale exodus of young cadres amid a leadership crisis is shrinking areas of theMaoists’ areas of control and dominance. From 182 districts across the country a few years ago, theMaoist writ runs in less than 50 districts today, sources said. “Stringent laws on marriage, punishment anddemotion of cadres indulging in marriage and sexual escapades, shrinking public support and theheightened offensive by security forces are leading to an exodus of youngsters from the organisation,”former Maoist organisation secretary and currently a mukhiya (village head) in Jharkhand’s Palamudistrict, Bablu Yadav alias Bhagalpurijee told HT. He said youths in the Maoist camp are a frustrated lot.“Scores of them have shifted allegiance to splinter groups in Jharkhand, bordering Orissa andChhattisgarh because these outfits have a liberal attitude towards marriage,” he said. As a policy, therebels are not supposed to marry after joining the movement. But if they do, they are demoted and

sometimes expelled with a warning not to engage in any anti-Maoist activity. Raising a family is a strictno-no. Former Maoist special area committee member, Jugal Kishore Pal alias Madanjee summed up thesituation aptly: “They may call me a traitor today but I am happy uniting with my wife and children afterdevoting 22 years of my precious life to the organisation, wandering in the jungles fighting for a change insociety and system of governance.” (Hindustan Times 6/10/12)Cops detain 13 for naxal links (12)Tamil Nadu police on Saturday night detained five people, including a woman, of the People DemocraticRepublic Katchi (PDRK), an organisation that has been banned because of its suspected links withnaxalites, from a private school in western suburban Kundrathur. Eight others, including a college studentfrom Madurai, besides construction workers and earth moving machine operators, were also held whenthey were attending the study class at the Pavendar Malalayar Primary School. The five PDRK membersincluded Durai Singavel and his wife, Ragini, who are key members of the organisation, police sourcessaid. The five are hardcore Maoists and had earlier been detained under the Prevention of Terrorism Act(POTA), the police said. The others who were arrested include Pazhanimanickam, Baskar, SenthilKumar, Bhuviyarasan, Muralimohan, Gurunathan, Premkumar and Suresh. The accused were producedin a court at Sriperumbudur and remanded to judicial custody in Vellore. urces in the Q branch said ateam from the wing that monitors terror activities in the state went to the school on Saturday evening on atip off that one Bharathi, who was on the list of wanted persons, was present at the study class. “She wasnot there, but we nabbed 13 people with naxal links,” an official said. The Q team handed over the 13people arresteed to the local police. The police said that there was no armed training in the Chennaischool but a class on ideological orientation was going when the police team reached the spot. “Some ofthe eight men were taking notes,” a police official said. Meanwhile, human rights activists condemned thearrest of 13 suspected naxal activists saying that Duriasinghavelu was running an organisation namedPorali and also bringing out a publication in the same name. He had been part of a naxal-relatedorganisation. “Porali is not a banned organisation. Indian Constitution allows people to create forums,debate and publicise their objectives. The arrest of 13 people is illegal,” said A. Marx, a human rightsactivist. (Asian Age 8/10/12)3 pseudo Naxals held for extortion bid (12)HYDERABAD: Police on Tuesday arrested three pseudo Maoists who were trying to extort money from acity-based realtor. In another case in Borabanda, police nabbed a surrendered-naxalite for possession ofa country-made fire arm. The SR Nagar police arrested Nagaraju, Suresh and Ravi who were threateningrealtor Chandrasekhar from Ameerpet. A few days ago, the trio called up the realtor and introducedthemselves as members of the Kondapalli Seetaramaiah Dalam. The fraudsters told the realtor to pay Rs15 lakh and warned him that refusal would cost him his life. As Chandrasekhar did not respond to theirthreats, they sent a threat letter in the name of Kondapalli Seetaramaiah Dalam. The realtor thenapproached the SR Nagar police, who laid a trap to nab the offenders. As per the plan, when the culpritscalled him later, Chandrasekhar agreed to give them the money and asked them to meet up at BK Gudaon Tuesday morning. As soon as the trio turned up, the SR Nagar police arrested them. "No weaponswere found on them," SR Nagar SI R Govinda Reddy said. During interrogation, one of the culpritsNagaraju, said he had worked for Chandrasekhar at his Madhapur office. After quitting the job, Nagarajuwith two others hatched the plan to extort money from Chandrasekhar. Police slapped a case undersections 387 (attempt to extortion) and 506 (criminal intimidation) of the IPC. They were produced in courtand remanded in judicial custody. In another case, the SR Nagar police arrested a surrendered naxalite,Narasimha Reddy of Borabanda, for possessing a country-made revolver and four live rounds. Policesaid that Narasimha Reddy was part of the naxalite movement between 1986 and 1989 in Medak. Hesurrendered in 1989. Police booked a case under the Arms Act and produced him in court. (Times ofIndia 10/10/12)4 woman Naxals arrested during encounter (12)Gondia: Four woman Naxals were arrested with weapons during an encounter between the outlaws ofGadchiroli-Gondia Core and the police near Chichgarh on Monday night. A Naxal, who was injured in theexchange of fire, managed to flee. Chichgarh police got the information of Naxal movement in thesurrounding areas. In-charge of the anti-Naxal squad Tiwari and commandos of 60 battalion werecombing the forest when 25 to 30 rounds were suddenly fired at them near village Taimul Kotra, about

30km from Chichghar. The combing party retaliated by firing at least 60 rounds in which a Naxal wasinjured. But he managed to flee, taking advantage of the darkness. However, two woman Naxals of KochiDalam - Divya alias Baiji Ilani and Rani alias Anjali Kumbhare - were arrested with arms by the police.According to the information given by these two, 19 Naxals of Gadchiroli-Gondia Core, which consisted ofnine men and ten women, were moving around. Police recovered from them two 12 bore rifles, one 8mmand 3 other rifles, a radio set and other material. As the interrogation was in progress, the combing partynabbed two more woman Naxals of Gadchiroli Dalam - Laxmi alias Radhika Halani and Kasari aliasSunita Tawade - near Ganutola on Tuesday. (Times of India 11/10/12)With CRPF away, naxals regroup to redraw strategy (12)New Delhi: After suffering serious reverses, Maoists are moving into a consolidation phase even as antinaxaloperations have come to a standstill in the red corridor in the absence of a regular chief for theCRPF, the main force fighting the rebels. “They are in the consolidation phase, focusing on a secureelevated zone which can be a safe place for training, recruitment and refuge,” said a senior officialinvolved in operations. The Dandakaranya forests in the Chhattisgarh-Maharashtra-Andhra Pradesh belt— under the Dandakaranya Special Zone Committee (DSZC) of the Maoists — still continue to be thebastion of the Communist Party of India (Maoist) and include the hot beds of their activity such asGadchiroli and Bastar. Headquartered at Abujhmaad, this zone is also called the central guerrilla base.“Maoists are now mainly working in the tribal areas such as Malkangiri and Koraput in the Andhra-Odishaborder areas where about 90% of their senior leaders are now based at. These areas are guarded byabout 10 guerrilla companies or about 900 men,” the official said. Top Maoists commander Ganapathy isknown to have a five-tiered security ring around him. After scaling the peak in 2008-09, the Maoists havesuffered deep reverses in Jharkhand, West Bengal, Bihar and parts of Odisha. Around half of the 35-40members who comprise the central committee—top Maoist political body—are behind bars. This successwas attributed to the leadership of ex-CRPF chief K Vijay Kumar who retired on September 30. “For thelast 10 days, the CRPF’s anti-naxal operations have come to a standstill in core Maoist areas such asGadchiroli and Bastar. There is a lack of enthusiasm among the personnel as the former chief was deeplyinvolved in operations,” the official said. (Hindustan Times 14/10/12)Chhattisgarh: Naxals attack police team, 2 cops hurt (12)Raipur: The Naxals on Sunday torched four vehicles and attacked a police team, injuring two policepersonnel, in Dantewada district of Chhattisgarh. The incident occurred in the forest area in Surokhivillage, police said. The Naxals intercepted four trucks involved in road construction work near the villageand set them afire, they said. A CRPF and police team was rushed to the area but as it neared thevillage, the Naxals attacked it, injuring two personnel, they said. The security personnel retaliated,following which the Naxals escaped, they said. The injured have been admitted to hospital. (HindustanTimes 15/10/12)Policy on Naxals permits swaps (12)The Centre has finalised a uniform Naxal hostage policy for the states, drifting clearly from a nonegotiationstand, as suggested by certain state governments. Suggesting a “swap deal” can be struckwith Maoists, the hostage policy says steps should be taken to ensure minimum setbacks to the statemachinery. The ministry of home affairs policy also clearly spells out a Plan B that involves moving in“special forces” if talks with Maoists fail. These special forces could consist of personnel from AndhraPradesh’s Greyh-ounds or any other specialised force in the states. The states, separately, also have theoption of requisitioning Central forces for rescue operations in a contingency situation. Raman Singh,chief minister of Chhattisgarh, the state worst hit by Naxal violence, had pitched for a uniform “nonegotiationpolicy” in hostage situations following the abduction of Sukma collector Alex Paul Menon. MrSingh had then pitched for a national hostage policy in which a swap deal would “not be an option” even ifit involved the abduction of the head of a state government. But the MHA’s uniform policy guidelines saynegotiations may be carried out by state governments to free any hostages taken by Mao-ists. However,it adds a word of caution: that the state should not bend over backwards and rele-ase hardcore CPI(Maoist) leaders. It also says that a panel of experts should be appointed by the state concerned tonegotiate with the Maoists soon after an abduction. The uniform Naxal hostage policy drafted by the MHAhas been circulated to state governments for comments. The MHA is holding a high-level meeting withthe chief secretaries and DGPs of nine Naxal-affected states on Thur-sday where the matter is expected

to come up. (Asian Age 16/10/12)Naxals resurface in Sakleshpur (12)Sakleshpur: A group of Naxals visited Honnatlu village, near the Bisile forest in the taluk on Sundayevening. According to informants, three ultras, including Vikram Gowda, visited the house of H S Prakasharound 6.30 pm in the evening and warned Prakash and emmbers of his family not to report their visit tothe police. Informed of the visit, however, police are scheduled to start combing operations in the areafrom Wednesday. The Anti Naxal Force has been requisitioned for use from Udupi. The naxals hadvisited the houses of Lokeshgowda and Gowdegowda at Sinkeri near Hongadahalla of the taluk just a fewdays ago. The ultras, who stayed at Prakash’s house for some 90 minutes, had dinner at the house andtook parcels for their associates. They also took with them parcels of rice, ragi, chilli powder, sugar,jaggery, onions and other essential commodities. One of the extremists reportedly spoke Telugu. Thereare just six houses in the village, which are far and between. Deputy Superintendent of Police, UpendraKumar, Yesalur police inspector Ratan Singh and others visited the spot on Tuesday. According toreports, Prakash’s family is not ready to provide more information on the visit — because of the warningfrom the Naxals. (Deccan Herald 17/10/12)Maoist leader urged to shun path of violence (12)BHUBANESWAR: A group of prominent civil society leaders of the State have written another letter to topMaoist leader Sabyasachi Panda urging the latter to shun the path of violence and come forward to holdtalks with the State government. The signatories to the letter, who had written a similar letter to Mr. Pandalast month, said they had already met some close associates of the Maoist leader and placed thedemands raised by them before the State government. Expressing satisfaction that Mr. Panda had notraised any demand for the withdrawal of the cases pending against him, the signatories said theSecretary of the State Government’s Home Department and the Director General of Police had assuredto extend all cooperation and consider the demands. The eight signatories to the letter were former LokSabha Speaker Rabi Ray, Annapurna Maharana, Mohammed Bazi, Ratan Das, Bhabani Charan Patnaik,Krishna Mohanty, Bhagaban Prakash and Radhamohan. With regard to the demand for review of casesagainst those booked for their alleged links with the Maoists, the group said the authorities had agreed toreview such cases once in every two months and necessary steps in this regard would be taken with thecooperation of Mr. Panda. The authorities had also assured that the State government would takenecessary measures to ensure that those released from jail would lead a normal life and not suffer againin the future, the group said in their two-page letter addressed to Mr. Panda. As regards the disputes overacquisition of tribal land by non-tribal people in Narayanpatna area of Koraput district, the civil societyleaders further said the Member, Board of Revenue had been entrusted with the responsibility to find outsolution to the issue. Mr. Panda, who worked as secretary of the Odisha unit of the Communist Party ofIndia (Marxist) until his recent expulsion from the party in the recent past, has since launched a regionalMaoist outfit called Odisha Maovadi Party. (The Hindu 18/10/12)Naxals forged ties with ISI with SIMI's help: Bengal DGP (12)NEW DELHI: Maoists may have been facing all-round reverses in West Bengal ever since chief ministerMamata Banerjee took charge of the state last year, but they have forged a deadly alliance with thePakistani spy agency ISI through overground radicals and remnants of the banned outfit SIMI during theperiod. Revelation was made by the West Bengal police chief Naparajit Mukherjee here on Thursdaywhen he told a gathering of chief secretaries and DGPs of other naxal-affected states about the growingMaoist-ISI nexus in four districts of the state. Expressing his anguish over the development, he is learnt tohave said that the nexus had been reported after arrests of some Maoists who elaborated howoverground sympathizers of the Red Ultras acted as a 'link' for them. Murshidabad, West Midnapore,Purulia and Bankura are the four districts where the West Bengal Police had noticed actions that hinted atMaoist-ISI linkages. The link is believed to be helping the ultras in getting arms and ammunition throughexisting network of north-east insurgents. Though the Union home ministry did not add to what Mukherjeetold the gathering over the nefarious link, security and intelligence agencies spoke about the possibilitythrough Maoists sympathizers. They also said that the Maoists' support to the Jammu & Kashmirterrorists for their cause in the bordering state had never been a secret. The disclosure of Mukherjeecomes even as Bengal has shown remarkable change in the situation where it effectively controlled theRed menace in the past one year through consistent intelligence-based operations against the Red

Ultras. Home ministry latest figures on naxal violence show that West Bengal - once a hotbed of Maoistactivities - has, in fact, moved closer to what Andhra Pradesh had achieved by reporting zero casualtyconsistently in past so many years. Ministry's statistics, based on state's reports, show that none of threehighly Maoist-affected districts - West Midnapore, Purulia and Bankura — did not reported any killing inthe past 10 months. The period, which incidentally coincides with the Banerjee's rule in the state, had alsoseen the elimination of senior naxal leaders including top CPI(Maoist) politburo member Kishenji andarrest of several others during joint operations of state police and central paramilitary forces. WestMidnapore, which witnessed as many as 360 deaths of civilians and security personnel during 2009-11,has reported zero casualty this year. Purulia, Bankura, Birbhum, Murshidabad and Malda have also notreported any casualty. Officials here believed that human intelligence-based 'specific' operations as wellas the CM's approach to reach out to people directly in the Maoist-affected districts had played importantrole in achieving such a situation in West Bengal. "Mamata Bannerjee is the only chief minister who holdsregular meetings and rallies right in the naxals' dominated districts. This political move to fill the vacuumcreated by the retreating Maoists proves to be a boon for West Bengal", said a senior home ministryofficial. (Times of India 19/10/12)Naxal revives resignation demand Gadchiroli (12)NAGPUR: A banner of the Naxals and some pamphlets seized by the patrolling police parties last week inEtapalli tehsil in south Gadchiroli, brought back the fear among local civic body members and electedrepresentatives about the threat issued by the rebels to derail the governance at the grassroot level. TheNaxals had issued a sweeping threat earlier this year against Panchayat samity and zilla parishadmembers asking them to either step down or else face wrath. Several elected representatives wereabducted following the threat. The panic-stricken elected representatives of the civic body, including theones elected in February this year, had furnished their resignations in large numbers. The numbers ofelected members resigning had touched nearly 300 which included several police patils. Around 27village headman and their deputies and equal numbers of police patils had resigned in Korchi taluka northof Gadchiroli on a single day protesting against government policies on development and police atrocity.Though several elected representatives had withdrawn their resignations, it had left a trail of fear in thedistrict. The monsoon season had put a brake on the rebel activities and the trend of resignation haddried up too.The recent banners and pamphlets in the district regarding the resignation seems to haveposed another round of challenege before the police in the post-monsoon phase to thwart the Naxal plansto compel elected members to resign. The district administration is learnt to be alerted too. Gadchiroli SPMohammed Suvez Haque said that the security forces already have seized the pamphlets and banners inEtapalli and is trying to find out where else such things have been found in the district. "Whether theNaxals have once again started to demand resignations or taken up in their agenda to resort to violenceagainst people not following their dictate is need to be ascertained from the cadres who have beenarrested or surrendered in the last one month," he said. (Times of India 22/10/12)CRPF plans to boost intel against Naxals (12)New Delhi: The CRPF, engaged in anti-Naxal operations in a major way, now plans to develop itsintelligence network right up to the level of the contractors, money lenders and panchayats to counter themenace of ultra-left extremism in the affected areas, particularly those in Chhattisgarh. The paramilitary isalso planning to detail the officials engaged in anti-Naxal operations in a desk-wise manner to gathervaluable and actionable intelligence inputs on Naxal outfits. According to sources, during the meeting ofsenior officers’ conference held recently the CRPF Inspector General (operations) of Chhattisgarh hasalso emphasised preparation of photo identity cards and database of people engaged in social welfareprogrammes under the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA) tonegate the possibility of Naxals taking the benefit of the scheme. An intelligence policy manual of theCRPF has been formulated for the intelligence set up of the paramilitary. The CRPF IG also suggestedorganisation of mason training to local unemployed youth at CRPF locations so as to utilise their servicesin building structures in the camps of the paramilitary in remote areas in the Naxal hotbed. On the aviationinfrastructure in the Naxal-hit States, the official expressed concern over the misuse of helipadsconstructed in field locations as they are being used as volley ball/playgrounds. The official suggestedidentification of logistic nodes adjacent to the deployment of the paramilitary in order to ensure optimumuse of flying hours. To meet the urgent requirement of accommodation in fields, the forum of senior

officials was also informed that mobile container type accommodation similar to those being used in UNmissions should be erected. The CRPF is now exploring the possibility of erecting such mobileaccommodation operational areas. The CRPF has already been granted sanction for a full-fledgedEngineering Wing and the paramilitary can now undertake works worth RS 60 lakh on a departmentalbasis. The CRPF is also in the process of installing close circuit television cameras (CCTVs),operationalising smart cards /biometric /Radio Frequency Idenitification (RFID) at various establishmentsto augment security of the campus. GPS-based vehicle tracking system is also being introduced to keepa track on the movement of its personnel, especially during operations. The paramilitary is also exploringthe possibility of using RFID with smart card for drawing /tracking of weapons out of armoury. (Pioneer25/10/12)Senior cops irked by multiple meets on Naxal issue (12)MUMBAI: Senior bureaucrats and high-ranking IPS officials are agitated over independent meetingsconvened by agriculture minister Sharad Pawar and union home minister Sushilkumar Shinde to takestock of the law and order situation in the state, particularly in the Naxal-infested Gadchiroli and Gondiadistricts. "In less than 30 days, we attended six meetings to discuss the law and order situation in Naxalinfestedareas. Four were convened by Pawar, and two by Shinde. Shinde also held a prolonged meetingin Pune. We feel there is a lack of coordination and as a result, IPS officials have to shuttle betweenPawar and Shinde," a senior IPS official said. A month ago, when PM Manmohan Singh addressed ameeting of DGPs, he had expressed displeasure over the failure of law-enforcing agencies inMaharashtra to tackle the Naxal movement in Gadchiroli. He had pointed out that the measures taken bythe state were grossly inadequate. Simultaneously, the PMO had submitted a comprehensive note onpoor preparedness of law-enforcing agencies in the state to Sharad Pawar for information with the hopethat he will take it up with the state home department, a portfolio held by NCP leader RR Patil. A day afterPawar received the note, he summoned not only RR Patil, but all senior IPS officers from the state toNew Delhi to seek more information from them, particularly on the PMO's observations. Subsequently,Pawar held yet another meeting in Mumbai in the presence of CM Prithviraj Chavan, RR Patil and seniorIPS officers, who briefed him on the fresh measures taken by them to halt the Naxal movement inGadchiroli and Gondia districts. Last week, Pawar again reviewed the situation in these areas in presenceof Chavan, RR Patil, finance minister Jayant Patil and heavy industries minister Praful Patel. The reasonsput forth on the spread of the Naxal movement ranged from no development to short-staffed police force.While the state was drafting a new strategy to tackle Naxalism, Shinde again called DGPs and seniorhome department officials to his Bandra home to discuss the same. (Times of India 26/10/12)Now, reverse sterilisation offered to wean away Maoists (12)NEW DELHI: In yet another strategy to counter Maoists, the Centre has asked all Left Wing Extremism(LWE)-affected States to offer reverse sterilisation procedure to surrendered Naxals so that they canreturn to normal family life. Forced sterilisation of lower cadres of Maoists has been in practice for years.This is done to keep the cadres battle-fit and also to keep them away from family life so that they canremain committed to the Maoist cause. But now the Ministry of Home Affairs has written to all the nineLWE-hit States asking them to facilitate reverse vasectomy operations of willing Maoist cadres and alsobear the medical costs so that they can lead normal family life and have children. “No rehabilitation iscomplete if Maoist cadres cannot return to normal family life and have children. Hence, there is a need toascertain the status of the surrendered or arrested Maoist cadres, and wherever necessary facilitate theirreturn to normal family life. This process will also reduce the temptation of the cadres to return to Maoistfold,” the MHA said in its communication to the State governments concerned. “State governments shouldconsider facilitating vasectomy reversal operations of willing Maoists. Since most sterilisation surgeriesare conducted in a crude manner by local quacks, if the reversal operation has to be done in a highermedical centre, the government should bear the costs,” it said. Forced vasectomy has led some Maoistcadre to surrender, especially in Chhattisgarh, Odisha and Jharkhand. Recently, two surrendered Maoistshad undergone successful vasectomy reversal surgery in Chhattisgarh. Asking the State governments togive the campaign utmost importance and inform the Maoist cadres that vasectomy is reversible, theletter said: “This matter may be given due attention and the district administration may be suitablysensitised in this regard so that the issue is addressed with sensitivity. It is suggested that the names andaddresses of those who avail this option not be disclosed.” (The Hindu 27/10/12)

IAP keeps youths from joining Naxals (12)The Integrated Action Plan (IAP) has started proving itself in tribal and backward regions hit hard byNaxal violence. The programme aims at giving a fillip to development schemes and is being implementedby a committee - comprising the Deputy Commissioner (DC), Superintendent of Police (SP) and DistrictForest Officer (DFO) - that has been given freedom to select schemes of its choice. The district has beenallotted Rs 55 crore for 2010-11 and 2011-12. Most important among the schemes underway is a ‘jobguaranteed’vocational training. In two phases, 250 youths, including girls, are being trained in advancedmechanisms as well as computerised tool-making at Indo-Danish Tools Room in Jamshedpur. Thisrecognised training institute has guaranteed job opportunities after training. “We feel greatly satisfied,”said District Planning Officer Vinay Kumar, adding, “Recently, at least 10 youths from the first batch of100 boys and girls of the newly-formed Peshrar block, have been selected during campus recruitment bya private company. The first batch will complete training by March and by then, most of them will beenrolled with private companies or factories.” “The same will go on with the fresh batch of 150 that hasrecently joined the Tools Room for a two-year advance mechanism course,” he said. It was difficult totake the development schemes to the Naxal-hit hilly parts of Kisko and Senha blocks, which lack basicinfrastructure. Kumar said, “During our interaction with the villagers, we felt the deep concern of parentsabout saving their young children being pressurised by illegal forces. The initiative to engage youthsbrought the idea of this job-guaranteed scheme we undertook utilising the IAP fund.” “Parents are nowglad as their children are not only away from pressure but also availing a vocational training which wasnot possible earlier. Rs 1.40 lakh is being spent to train each youth,” he added. (Pioneer 27/10/12)Cop's father axed to death by Naxals in Chhattisgarh (12)Raipur: A group of Naxals allegedly axed to death father of an assistant constable in Sukma district earlyon Monday, police said. Naxals hacked to death Swayam Inka (50) father of Assistant Constable SwayamNaraiyya (20). The incident took place under the Errabor police station limits, Sukma district SP AbhishekShandiyla told Bhasha/PTI over phone. Naraiyya and Inka were staying at a Salwa Judum relief camp.Today morning, when Inka stepped out for some farm-related work, the group of Naxals attacked him withaxe, he said. A note was recovered from the site, in which it was written that in 2006 Inka had allegedlycommitted atrocities against local tribals. Victim's body had been handed over to his family, police saidadding that a manhunt has been launched. (Zee News 29/10/12)Doors are open for talks with Maoists, says RIAD Chairman (12)GUNTUR: The doors will always be open for a dialogue with Maoists as there is no alternative method toeffectively address the problem of extremism, Remote and Interior Area Development (RIAD) ChairmanT. Purushottam Rao has observed. Mr. Rao, who was among the chief interlocutors with the Naxalleadership during the talks initiated during the Y.S Rajasekhara Reddy’s government in the year 2004,also said that calling off the talks with naxals was a “loss to democracy.’’ “I am not blaming the Maoists forwalking out, but I am also fully convinced that the then State Government was sincere in addressing thecore issues of deprivation, alienation and economic and social justice,’’ Mr. Rao said here on Monday.The Government had then set up Remote and Interior Area Development to coordinate implementation ofcore welfare and developmental programmes by various departments and was also mandated to preventdeforestation, ensure employment and land distribution in interior areas. Expressing concern over thelarge scale recruitment of children in the age group of 14-16 years, Mr. Rao said that more than 25,000boys had been recruited in recent times in the Telangana region in the state. Mr. Rao who was here totake part in ‘Gayathri Yagnam,’ to foster world peace said in a philosophical tone that all religions hadencompassed same spirituality and hoped that a day would come in the country when there would be‘party less democracy.’ (The Hindu 30/10/12)Maoists beefing up Andhra-Odisha Border cadre with children (12)KOYYURU (VISAKHAPATNAM): Eighteen-year-old Sindri Kondamma is an illiterate Kondu primitive tribalgirl. A member of Korukonda area committee, Kondamma alias Nirmala quit the Maoist group last year.Kondamma was forcibly inducted into the Maoist ranks when she had just turned 14 after an ambush."They did not allow me to go back to my village," she recalls with tears welling up in her eyes. "There areseveral minors in Maoist squads," she reveals. She herself took part in three famine raids and threeencounters with cops. She came out of the dense jungles by giving a slip to the Maoists and married aformer militia member Marri Ranju. Kondamma's words cannot be taken lightly as the Maoist leadership

in the Andhra-Odisha Border (AOB) is now busy recruiting minor boys and girls -- as young as 13-14years - to impart momentum to their movement, which is fast losing ground in AP. While the increasingdeployment of `child soldiers' has been widely acknowledged in neighbouring Odisha and Chhattisgarh,the trend of using minors from the remote Agency areas of Visakhapatnam and its border tracts isalarming. Vantala Chinnari of GK Veedhi mandal says she joined the dalam at the instigation ofGalikonda area commander Krishna when she was 14. "I was helpless. Before I could realise, I wasrunning from one forest to another, taking part in encounters," she says. Now 20, she lives in her tribalhamlet. (Times of India 31/10/12)Infrastructure projects in Naxal-hit districts to resume? (12)VARANASI: Some fresh developments have raised hopes of completion of several developmentalprojects in the Naxal-affected districts of East UP. The DIG Range A Satish Ganesh, who represented thestate in a recently held meeting of Naxal management division (NMD) of Government of India in NewDelhi, told TOI on Wednesday, "The achievements of the state police were the major topic of discussionat the meeting." However, after going through the agenda of the meet, the state police seem to havegarnered motivation to pursue long pending projects such as better road connectivity in the three districtsof Chandauli, Mirzapur and Sonbhadra. It is worth mentioning that the Mulayam Singh Yadav governmenthad proposed a large number of projects for large-scale development in Naxal affected districts of thisregion between 2004 and 2006. While many of the projects did come on floor, a large number ofdevelopment works such as construction of roads and bridges are still pending. Cases in point are thestalled infrastructural projects in Chandauli. The road and bridge constructions were proposed to ensureproper connectivity of remote zones which were often used as safe harbour by the Naxalites. As majorityof these roads pass through jungles, no-objection certificate (NOC) from forest department was required.However, this process has not been completed so far, due to which road projects including Khutahar-Chandraprabha, Narkati-Gahilababa-Dhauthwa, Naugarh dam-Dhobahi, Naugarh-Magrahi, JaimohiniPosta-Khutahar, Lauari Kala-Amdaha, Gangapur-Dhankuari, Naugarh dam-Jamsot, Kubradih-Kashipur,Gangapur-Khatkharia and Tiwaripur-Dhankuari are still in a limbo. Projects related to proper fortification,underground and secret passages at police stations and outposts, watch towers, fencing and othersforwarded by the Sonebhadra police are also pending due to delay in getting a nod of the stategovernment. The DIG said all the pending projects were reviewed after he returned from Delhi and effortsare being made to pursue these issues in order to ensure their early completion. During the NMDmeeting, he said, the possibilities of direct funding to the Naxal affected districts instead of states werealso explored. This, he said, was considered to avoid the problem of fund diversion and to ensure itsproper utilization in areas where development is required to keep the tribal population in the mainstream.He said measures were also initiated to make the anti-Naxal drives more effective by maintaining bettercoordination between the police and paramilitary forces of the neighbouring states. He said during themeeting, police from neighbouring states including Bihar, Jharkhand and Chhattisgarh were asked toinform the UP police before launching any drive in their states in order to get better support from thepolice of this region. He said whenever the police of these states intensify their drive, the possibility Naxalmobility towards UP increases. In such circumstances, improved coordination between the police of allthese states would help in achieving the desired results, he added. (Indian Express 1/11/12)Govt machineries, not Naxals, sabotaging system in Gadchiroli (12)Gadchiroli: Three decades of Naxal violence in Gadchiroli may have led to substantial loss of life andproperty. But, today, if the district is seen to be in a perpetual state of backwardness it is because thestate government's machineries have gone into sleep mode. This was evident from TOI's extensive tourof the district last week. With the focus of the central and state government remaining on tackling theNaxal menace, development of the district has taken a complete back seat even though RR Patil, asguardian minister, has appeared hands-on. Visits by Union ministers like P Chidambaram, JairamRamesh, chief minister Prithviraj Chavan among others too seems to have not shaken up the paralysedadministration. Various people in Gadchiroli TOI interacted with felt that government apathy is keepingthe district in the dark ages. Education, health, irrigation, agriculture and other government sectors are inan alarming state of limbo. If Naxal bullets and blasts have attributed to the stunted growth in the district,the government's story too is replete with inefficiency, vacancies, absenteeism, corruption and othermalpractices. There seems to be no policy and no planning. It has resulted in huge frustration at thegrass-root level where the villagers are pulled apart by the opposing forces of Naxals and police. Anti-

corruption crusader Chandrashekar Bharange, who is the district president of the Bhrastachar Virodhi JanAndolan, said schemes which have got sanctioned for the tribal population "have actually ended upbenefiting the government officials and a section of the implementing machineries at different level". "Youcannot tackle Naxalism with schemes. It needs dialogue," said the Anna Hazare supporter. KamalKishore Khobragade, another social activist, said that the development of Gadchiroli has been sweptaway by "misappropriation and malpractices" in government departments. "Naxal-police face-offs mayhave triggered some losses, the role played by corruption is no less," he said. The activist had a veryserious allegation to make. "Some government officials in connivance with political leaders havemisappropriated most of the schemes and the targeted beneficiaries have remained where they are," saidKhobragade. "Departments like forest and revenue are the most affected ones where severalirregularities can be found out at any given point of time," he added. Armori MLA Anandrao Gedam, aCongressman, said the lack of coordination between elected representatives and officials have led to thechaos. "Our opinion is not sought at the planning or implementation stages. Later we learn that the workhas been done at a wrong place," he said. District collector Abhishek Krishna, while giving severalpractised answers, admitted that the inefficiency of a section of personnel has affected the working of thegovernment machineries. "Who are to be blamed when key posts are kept vacant, he asked. Krishnaadded either probationers or officials who are at the fag end of their career are being posted to Gadchiroli."Officials use their clout to stop transfers here or prefer to remain here for long periods," he said. "Someofficers are sent here on undeclared punishments." Another senior level official, not wanting to be named,blasted Mantralaya for all the happenings. "Why aren't IAS and IFS officers not given special Naxal paylike their IPS counterparts when their risk is no less," he asked. He also pointed out that theimplementation of government resolution (GR) stating that choice postings would be done after working inNaxal affected areas has remained only on paper. (Times of India 3/11/12)Two former Maoists arrested outside Mamata’s residence (12)KOLKATA: Two Maoist activists who had surrendered earlier this year in West Bengal’s PaschimMedinipur district were held by the Kolkata Police outside the residence of Chief Minister MamataBanerjee here on Saturday. The two had gone there to inquire about the rehabilitation package the StateGovernment had promised to Left-wing extremists who lay down their arms. “They had certain querieslike the monetary help which was promised to them. They are simple people and had come to inquireabout their rehabilitation package. They were granted a meeting with Ms. Banerjee,” said State HomeSecretary Basudeb Banerjee. The State Government’s rehabilitation package for Maoists who surrenderincludes Rs. 1.5 lakh to be deposited in their respective back accounts a year after their surrender.Providing them with a job is another component of the package. “They were informed that Rs. 1.5 lakhwill be deposited in their account after a year. We are also trying to get them into the home guardservice,” said Mr. Banerjee. The two men, Sukdeb Mahato and Chiranjeet Mahato, surrendered onJanuary 12 and February 7 respectively in the Jhargram area of Paschim Medinipur district. They were inthe Midnapore police lines since then. The men were spotted outside the Chief Minister’s residence in thesouth of the city at around 10 a.m. and taken to the local Kalighat police station for interrogation. It wasthen the police got to know that they were former Maoists who wished to meet Ms. Banerjee regardingthe rehabilitation package. (The Hindu 4/11/12)Naxals gangrape two minors in Chattisgarh (12)RAIPUR: Police rescued two minor tribal girls who had run away from home on Friday after they wereallegedly gangraped by Maoists in Chhattisgarh's Bijapur district. Bijapur superintendent of policePrashant Agarwal on Sunday said the girls, aged 11 and 12, ran into a joint patrol of Central ReservePolice Force (CRPF) and state police in Madded area of Bijapur. They told the security personnel thatlocal Maoist leader Mudiyam Gujja and other rebels took them into the forest and gangraped them.Quoting the girls, the SP said the Maoists force children , mainly girls, to join their 'Bal Sangam' andsexually exploit them. Agarwal said these girls, who have never attended school, now want to stay in anashram and study. He said the Maoists have issued a diktat in the area asking people not to send theirgirl children to schools. "The medical examination of both the minor girls confirmed sexual exploitation ,"the official said, adding that a case has been registered. (Times of India 5/11/12)Maoists abduct, kill ASI in Chhattisgarh (12)RAIPUR: Maoist killed an assistant sub-inspector of police hours after abducting him from Chhattisgarh's

Bijapur district on Tuesday evening. ASI Nilesh Pandey, in his early thirties, was abducted while he wastravelling on a bus from Bijapur to Farsegarh. His bullet-ridden body was found in a forested between onWednesday. Earlier, the state police neither confirmed nor denied reports about his abduction, apparentlybecause of President Pranab Mukherjee's visit to tribal Bastar region to attend a function at theRamakrishna Mission Ashram there to mark Swami Vivekananda's 150th birth anniversary. "The ASI'sbody was brought to Jagdalpur from where it has been sent to his home town in Bilaspur by helicopter.His family members, who were in Jagdalpur, went to Bilaspur by road as his wife has not been informedabout the death," Bijapur district superintendent of police Prashant Agarwal said. Maoists had given a callfor the boycott of the President's visit to Narayanpur to protest deployment of Army in Abujmarh. TheArmy has maintained that its presence there was for "training only", but the rebels see it as an attempt toset up a permanent base in the Maoist hotbed of Bastar. Pandey's killing comes as Chhattisgarhcelebrates its 12th statehood anniversary. The state government laid foundation for a state capital city of'Naya Raipur' and hosted its first Global Investors Meet to attract investment in downstream sectorsduring the week-long 'Rajyotsav' celebrations. (Times of India 8/11/12)Chhattisgarh leader Mahendra Karma escapes Naxal attack (12)RAIPUR: Mahendra Karma, the Congress leader who spearheaded the controversial anti-Naxalitemovement Salwa Judum, survived an attack by the Maoists on Thursday. The landmine attack on hismotorcade took place around 9.40am when Karma was going to Barsur in Dantewada district ofChhattisgarh. As the landmine hit the front portion of the bullet-proof vehicle, Karma escaped unhurt. Butfour people, including his security personnel, were injured in the blast. Police said the Maoists hadspecifically targeted the fourth vehicle in the convoy in which Karma was travelling. Police suspected thatthe Maoist had prior information about Karma's movement. Karma has been given "Z-plus" security coversince past several years. "I am in the hit-list of the Maoists. In the past also, the Maoists had attacked me.Despite threats, I will continue to fight Naxalites," Karma told reporters at the Dantewada district hospitalwhere he underwent a medical checkup. Later, Karma was airlifted to Raipur for treatment as hecomplained of mild chest pain. The 60-year-old tribal leader was a former minister in the Ajit Jogi cabinet.He had also served as opposition leader in the Chhattisgarh assembly after the 2003 polls. The formerDantewada MLA lost the 2008 assembly election when BJP swept 10 out of the 11 seats in Bastar.(Times of India 9/11/12)Escaped Maoist prisoner surrenders (12)Giridih: One of the seven Maoists who escaped after a police van was ambushed by their comrades inGiridih on Friday evening, surrendered to the police on Saturday after he was tracked down. AnotherMaoist, who was among the prisoners, could not flee as he was injured. He is being treated at a privatehospital in Giridih. “Bipin Mandal suffered bullet injuries and was not able to escape. Our teams tracedBaijnath Tiwari and he has surrendered,” said Jharkhand Director General of Police G.S. Rath. Sevenvillagers from the area were reported to have been detained by the police on suspicion that they helpedthe Maoists in carrying out the ambush. “Some people have been detained, but I cannot confirm thenumber,” Mr. Rath said. A team of senior police officials, including Inspector General (IG) Operations S.N.Pradhan, Bokaro IG Murarilal Meena, DIG Suman Gupta and CRPF spokesperson IG M.V. Rao, visitedthe ambush site on Saturday morning. (The Hindu 11/11/12)Three CRPF jawans injured in Naxal firing (12)NAGPUR/CHANDRAPUR: Three Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) jawans of 192 battalion wereinjured in an encounter with armed Naxals in Jarawandi jungles under Etapalli tehsil of Gadchiroli onSunday afternoon. One critically injured CRPF jawan, Subhashchandra, has been shifted to Nagpur foremergency treatment, while the other two are being treated at the Civil Hospital in Gadchiroli, sourcessaid. District sources said a squad of 30-35 CRPF jawans was carrying out routine anti-Naxal patrolling inthe jungle near village Ropi in Jarawandi when the gun battle took place at about 1pm. The lurkingNaxalites fired indiscriminately at security personnel, which took the forces by surprise. CRPF jawansretaliated but by then three of their jawans had already sustained injuries of different degrees.Subhashchandra, who was in the front, sustained two bullet injuries. He sustained a bullet injury on theleft side of his chest while another hit him in the left thigh. Two of his colleagues were also hurt but theirinjuries were not serious. The injured Subhashchandra was airlifted to Nagpur from Etapalli. The twoother injured jawans were later rushed to Gadchiroli civil hospital. In view of the swift response from the

forces, the reds retreated into the jungles after around half-an-hour. Security forces said some Naxalsmight have been injured in the encounter. (Times of India 12/11/12)Five Maoists killed in encounter in Odisha (12)BERHAMPUR (ODISHA): Five Maoists were killed in a fierce encounter with security forces in a forest onthe border of Odisha's Ganjam and Gajapati districts on Wednesday. At least two security personnel werealso injured in the exchange of fire in Bhaliagada jungle under Mohana police station area, police said."We have received information about the death of five Maoists during an exchange of fire in the jungle.The bodies are yet to be recovered as the operation is still on," DIG of police (southern range) R KSharma said. The slain ultras belonged to a group headed by Maoist leader Sabyasachi Panda, he said.Panda, who was recently expelled from the CPI (Maoist), had formed the Odisha Maobadi Party.Although Panda was present in the camp during the operation jointly conducted by the Special OperationGroup and District Voluntary Forces, his whereabouts were not known immediately, the DIG said.Superintendent of police (Gajapati) C S Meena said the operation was launched in the jungle afterspecific information about movement of Maoists. Meena is coordinating the operation with superintendentof police (Ganjam) Ashish Singh. (Times of India 15/11/12)Gajapati encounter deceased not linked to Maoists, say kin (12)BERHAMPUR: Relatives of persons killed in the recent encounter in Gajapati district have denied thattheir dear ones were linked with the outlawed Maoist organization. Most of them were even ignorant oftheir presence in the dense forests of Bhaliaguda, where the gunbattle took place. "My husband wasneither a Maoist nor linked with them," said Laxmi, wife of Ghasiram Bagsingh of Kandhamal'sMardhapanka village. Bagsingh (32) was the former samiti member of Saramuli panchayat. "He had lefthome on some work for Bramhanigaon on Tuesday and never returned. We came to know only onThursday that he and four more were killed in encounter," Laxmi said. Similar were the words of Basanti,wife of Laxmi Kanta Nayak of Ludurimunda within Tikabali police limits, who also died in the encounter."He along with Junesh Digal had gone to invite some relatives for a function. They did not return home. Icame to know of his death from a villager," said Basanti, adding that he had no link with Maoists. Juneshwas arrested by security forces during a combing operation after an encounter. Sumson Majhi (58) ofBhingiriguda, who was also killed in the encounter, was president of the local committee. "I was surprisedhow my brother was branded as a Maoist and killed," said Yudhistira, Sumson's younger brother. "I thinkthey might be gone to the Maoist camp after been called," said Luksana Majhi, a local BJD leader whosenephew Aiba Padra (22) of Bujili village was also killed in the exchange of fire. The other deceased isSanatan Mallick (30) of Gaheju village. The relatives of the deceased had come to MKCG MedicalCollege and Hospital to collect the bodies. Convener of Jana Adhikar Manch Dandapani Mohanty said thestatement of the relatives points to the fact that they were innocent villagers and were gunned down whilereturning after discussing the problems in their area with Maoist leaders. "As police have killed innocentpeople, we want a compensation of Rs 20 lakh from the government to the family members of each of thedeceased," he said. Police, however, said they were Maoists. "If they were not Maoists, why should theygo to their camp inside the forest," asked a senior police officer, adding their link with Red rebels is beingverified. In Kandhamal, some activists have alleged that it was a fake encounter and urged thegovernment for a judicial inquiry into the incident by a sitting high court judge and registration of a murdercase against police for killing five innocent villagers. "We knew three of those killed. They were engagedin different social and people welfare activities in Bramhanigaon and were not Maoists," said formerDaringibadi panchayat samiti chairman and leader of Odisha Adivasi Manch Junesh Pradhan.Misappropriation of BPL rice was unearthed due to an agitation by Bagsingh and Majhi in Saramulipanchayat. This had led to the arrest of the sarpanch of panchayat Kamala Pattamahi on October 10,said Mohanty. "We suspect the role of the sarpanch in the fake encounter," he said. (Times of India18/11/12)Naxals ambush police party in Chhattisgarh; no casualties (12)Raipur: A group of Naxalites ambushed a police party in Chhattisgarh's Gariyabandh district on Mondaymorning but failed to inflict any casualty, police said. A team of police party from Gariyabandh districtheadquarters left for Sikaser-Maragaon area for a routine search operation. A group of Naxalitesambushed the party near Maragaon by opening indiscriminate firing. The security personnel immediatelytook positions and retaliated, additional superintendent of police L David informed. "The gun battle lasted

for about two hours before the Naxalites fled the spot and disappeared in the adjoining jungles," headded. No casualty was reported from either side, David said. The police later launched a massive huntfor the ultras. An AK-47, Naxal literature, uniform and other items were recovered from the encounterspot, he added. (Hindustan Times 19/11/12)Top Naxal surrenders (12)KOTHAGUDEM: A top Maoist leader, who operated in Gadchiroli district of Maharashtra and wasallegedly involved in several attacks including the ambush at Lahiri in 2009 in which 15 police personnelwere killed, surrendered to the Khammam police on Monday. Four other Maoists and 10 'milita' memberstoo surrendered. Bandarapu Mallaiah alias Chandranna, secretary of South Gadchiroli DivisionalCommittee who carried a reward of Rs 5 lakh on his head, surrendered with others before superintendentof police P Harikumar here. Chandranna and his wife Gadegoni Balavva alias Vijaya belong toKarimnagar district. Chandranna, wanted by Maharashtra, Chhattisgarh and Andhra Pradesh police,came in contact with ultras in 1981, and started working as full-time member from 1988, KothagudemASP Bhaskar Bhushan told PTI. Since 2003 he was working in Gadchiroli. His wife Vijaya, who becamedalam member in 1993, too was working in Gadchiroli since 2003. (Times of India 20/11/12)Chhattisgarh police on high alert even as Orissa steps up hunt for Panda (12)Raipur: The Chhattisgarh police have been put in ‘alert mode’ even as a massive operation has beenunder way in neighbouring Orissa to nab the expelled Maoist leader Sabyasachi Panda. “The situationinside Orissa and on the Chhattisgarh-Orissa border is being closely monitored by the police,” a seniorpolice official told The Hindu . The joint operation, launched by the Orissa police and the Central ReservePolice Force last week, has witnessed the death of five tribals, by official accounts, so far. ChhattisgarhDirector-General of Police (Naxal Operation) Ram Niwas confirmed that the forces were put on high alert,albeit for a different reason, pointing to the observance of a ‘martyr’s week’, to mark the death of Maoistleader Kishenji, from November 24. CRPF sources said several paramilitary companies of the elite forcewere pressed into action in central, western and eastern Orissa to capture Panda, who now has launchedan outfit parallel to the CPI(Maoist). “Four companies of the CRPF have moved into the Mohna block ofGajapati district and six more into Kandhmal and Ganjam districts in several phases. Besides, one fullbattalion is placed in Nuapara district bordering Chhattisgarh,” said one of the officers. Each companywas being accompanied by two or three platoons of the Special Operations Group (SOG) of Orissa.Estimates suggest that no fewer than 2500 security personnel are involved in the operation. “We haveclear orders to get him [Panda] arrested or ensure his surrender,” said the officer. However, a seniorCRPF official said the operation adjacent to the Chhattisgarh border “may not be for Panda.” “Theoperations in the hinterland (Kandhmal, Ganjam and Gajapati) are for Panda. In all probability, theNuapara operation is an ongoing one to locate Chhattisgarh’s [Maoist] groups,” the officer told The HinduPanda, once a popular leader of the CPI(Maoist) started losing ground in recent months after his trustedlieutenants — Nikhil of the Banshdhara division of the Orissa State Organising Committee and Krishna ofthe Ghumshar division — left him to work for the CPI(Maoist). In an audio statement released on Sunday,Panda dismissed claims he and his associates were injured in the police operation. Though the rebelremained elusive, an alleged key courier of Panda along with his associate surrendered before GanjamSuperintendent of Police Ashis Kumar Singh at Chatrapur on Thursday evening. Senior police officialsinvolved in the operation said the expelled Maoist leader’s group was now facing shortage of arms andammunition. As per the information spilled by four members of militias linked to the Panda group, whowere arrested from the Bhaliaguda jungle on Tuesday, a key associate, Paradeep, was seriously injuredin the abdomen in an exchange of fire with the security forces on November 14, said R.K. Sharma,Deputy Inspector-General, southern range. Panda himself was injured, along with a woman cadre, thepolice official said quoting the arrested persons. Meanwhile, Orissa rights activist Dandapani Mohanti,complaining of police excesses, said large areas in Ganjam and Gajapati districts were witnessing ‘fullscalepolice operation.’ “No information is coming out as the area has been cordoned off. Reportedlyseveral tribals are routinely picked up and beaten up, in the name of ‘Panda search operation,” he toldThe Hindu . The simultaneous security operations were being conducted to “expunge all people’sresistance” in a bid to design a safe space for mining companies. “Unfortunately, there is just about nomedia coverage of such a massive operation in a tribal area,” Mr. Mohanti said. The five locals who werekilled at the beginning of the operation about a week ago were “innocent tribals,” and not Maoists, hesaid. Police and paramilitary officers, however, denied the allegations. “There is absolutely no violation of

human rights. The [killed] tribals were definitely with the Maoists and weapons were seized from them,” aCRPF officer said. (The Hindu 23/11/12)Woman Naxalite killed in encounter (12)A woman Naxalite was killed in an encounter with police this morning in the forest area of Abapur villagenear Ghot in Chamorshi taluka here, police said. While police were patrolling in the forest area of Abapur,some naxalites who were hiding there opened fire at the police team around 9.30 am. In retaliation, policealso fired at the ultras in which a woman Naxal was killed. The body was yet to be identified, police said.A 12 bore rifle and other naxal material were also recovered from the spot, police said adding that asearch operation continued in the area. (Pioneer 26/11/12)Maoists’ secret dump unearthed in Kandhamal (12)BERHAMPUR: Security forces unearthed a secret dump of Maoists in Daringbadi police station area ofKandhamal district on Thursday. It may be noted that anti-Maoist operation has been intensified inKandhamal, Gajapati, and Ganjam districts after the exchange of fire between security forces andMaoists of Sabyasachi Panda group at Bhaliaguda jungle on Ganjam-Gajapati district border onNovember 14. Five persons had been killed in the encounter were from Kandhamal district. According toKandhamal district police sources, the Maoist dump was unearthed during a joint combing operation bythe district police, Special Operation Group (SOG) and Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) inBadabanga jungle near Kerubadi. Large amount of materials of day to use of Maoists were seized fromthe spot. Apart from it a landmine containing around 20 kg explosive and two other Improvised ExplosiveDevices (IED) each having two kg explosives, wire used to detonate landmines were seized from thespot. But no arms or ammunition was seized from the dump. During past few months several secretMaoist dumps have been unearthed by security forces in Kandhamal district. But none of them had anymodern arms although explosives were seized from them. Since September anti-Maoist operations haveled to major unearthing of explosive materials of Maoists in Kandhamal district. On September 11 asecret Maoist dump was unearthed by the CRPF personnel and district police inside the jungle nearMatikeda under Kotagarh police station limits. As per senior police officials non-availability of any majormodern arms in these dumps was related to the infighting in the Maoist organisation in south Odisha. Thearea where these dumps were found was in the area where Sabyasachi was also active in the past. AfterSabyasachi was expelled from the CPI (Maoist) organisation in August, the group that remained with theparent organisation of ultras had taken away the arms from these secret dumps. Arms were taken awayso that they did not fall in the hands of Sabysachi, who had formed his own new outfit named OdishaMaoist Party (OMP), a senior police officer said. (The Hindu 30/11/12)New Chhattisgarh DGP to focus on curbing Naxalism (12)Raipur: Chhattisgarh’s new police chief on Friday sought cooperation from all concerned to effectivelytackle Naxalism and asserted that his force is committed to protect human rights of citizens. Ramniwas,who on Friday took charge as Director General of Police, later told reporters that Maoist insurgency is thebiggest problem facing Chhattisgarh and it is also a challenge to democratic values of the country. TheNaxal menace will be curbed under guidance of the State and Central Governments and cooperation ofall concerned, he said. The senior IPS officer called upon youth living in the Naxal-hit areas to takebenefit of the Government’s welfare schemes and join the national mainstream. Police personnel andofficers posted in the Maoist-affected areas work under difficult circumstances and they should beprovided good facilities, the DGP said. The police force will be continuously trained to upgrade their skillsand tackle any situation. It will also be equipped to handle cyber crimes, Ramniwas said. (Pioneer1/12/12)New CRPF Director-General visits anti-Maoist operation area (12)BERHAMPUR: New Director General of Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) Pranay Sahay along withOdisha Director General of Police (DGP) Prakash Mishra on Saturday air dashed to the area whereoperation against expelled Maoist leader Sabyasachi Panda was continuing since November 14. It wasthe maiden visit of the new DG of CRPF to Odisha. Senior police officials involved in the continuingoperation against the Sabyasachi group preferred to remain mum regarding this visit of top securitypersonnel to the area of operation. Yet it was evident that this visit was related to the anti-Maoist

operation continuing in the jungles bordering Ganjam, Gajapati and Kandhamal districts. According tosources these two top police officials were accompanied by joint director of Intelligence Bureau, InspectorGeneral (IG) intelligence-cum-operations of Odisha police, Arun Sadangi, IG of CRPF Sanjay Agarwal.Superintendent of Police (SP) of Gajapati district was also present with them. This hinted the importanceof this visit. This team of top security officials used chopper to reach the Srirampur camp of CRPF inKandhamal and then they travelled to Adaba camp in Gajapati district. It was suspected that theyreviewed the ground realities of the on going anti-Maoist operation in the area. It may be noted that fivepersons had been killed in the exchange of fire between security forces and ultras of Sabyasachi group inBhaliaguda jungle at Ganjam-Gajapati district border on November 14. According to senior police officialsSabyasachi has not been able to escape from the area since then. So, a massive operation againstSabyasachi and his group was continuing in the jungles in the border of Ganjam, Kandhamal, Gajapatidistricts. Sabyasachi had formed a new outfit named Odisha Maoist Party (OMP) after his expulsion fromthe outlawed CPI (Maoist) organisation in August. It was hinted that this visit of top police officials may beaimed at boosting the continuing anti-Sabyasachi operation. (The Hindu 2/12/12)Naxals torch two trucks in Sukma (12)Raipur: A group of around 60 Naxals allegedly set on fire at least two tipper trucks used in roadconstruction work in Tongpal area of Naxal-hit Sukma district in Chhattisgarh on Tuesday, police said.The Naxals torched two tipper trucks at the Jerum valley when the vehicles were going to Chhindgadhfrom Jagdalpur carrying the road construction equipment and material, Sukma SP Abhishek Shandilyatold PTI over phone. When the trucks reached Jerum valley, around 60 Maoists, including 50 armedones, dressed as villagers, stopped the vehicles, asked the people to get down and set the trucks ablaze.The trucks belonged to private contractors; Shandilya said adding police teams were sent to the spot.(Pioneer 5/12/12)Woman Naxal killed in encounter (12)Chandrapur: Gadchiroli police, on Tuesday, said that they had gunned down a woman Naxalite in anencounter that took place in Hikker jungle along the Chhattisgarh border in Etapalli tehsil. However, theNaxals managed to take away the dead body of their aide, the cops claimed. According to police sources,the Naxalites ambushed a special action squad in Hikker jungle near the bank of Parlkota river. TheNaxalites fired indiscriminately at the cops, who retaliated in defence. The gun battle lasted for half anhour. Unable to withstand the firing from the cops, the Naxalites retreated. The cops have recovered amodified 303 rifle, a pittu (back pack) and other Naxal material from the spot. (Times of India 6/12/12)Govt may widen sops available in Naxal affected areas (12)NAGPUR: The state government is planning to widen tax sops to woo industries to Naxal affected areas.The new industrial policy, expected to be announced during the winter session, may give a blanketexemption from Value Added Tax and other levies to any type of manufacturing unit in Gadchiroli, Gondiaand Chandrapur districts. Currently, a mega project in Gadchiroli gets a refund of the Value Added Tax(VAT) paid, with 25% being refunded for other projects. Considering the low development in Gadchiroli,even a project with investment of Rs100 crore is considered as a mega project. In the rest of the state,the criterion ranges from an investment of Rs250 to 750 crore in the manufacturing sector. The newpolicy aims to extend the full refund benefit to all manufacturing units, irrespective of the size, includingmedium and small enterprises. The incentives available to mega units there have not brought anyinvestment under this category to Gadchiroli, said a source in Maharashtra Industrial DevelopmentCorporation (MIDC). Although four iron ore projects have been proposed, there has been no action forlast three years, a source said. The new scheme would cover entire Gadchiroli district while in otherdistricts it would be operational only in the officially notified Naxal pockets. There is a taluka-wiseclassification of Naxal-affected areas, both by the central and state governments, which will be taken asreference in the industrial policy. There are chances that the entire belt with cement industries inChandrapur may be left out of the plan, said sources. This state's proposed move is in line with a draftcentral policy to tackle the Naxal situation with economic measures. The policy entails exempting suchareas from all the central taxes, which will be topped up by an exemption from the state's side also,sources said. The state taxes mainly include value added tax (VAT), stamp duty, mining royalty and otherlevies. The new policy is expected to provide a major boost to industrial scenario in the region. The areaalready has one of the best grade of iron ore deposits in the country. Even as private companies have

secured prospecting licences, operations have not taken off due the Naxal threat. There have beenincidents of miners being kidnapped for ransom. However, at the same time, the iron and steel industryhad been lobbying for new industrial estate in Aashti taluka of Gadchiroli district. The land acquisition hasbeen held up as the locals are demanding three times the rate offered by government. Sources also donot rule out the chance of industry players courting the Naxals for security. Gadchiroli already has anindustrial estate of MIDC, where land was offered for just a rupee per plot, with no cap on the area.Private players have lapped up the land but there is no sign of activity there. This estate is situated inGadchiroli district headquarters, which remains insulated from Naxal activity and is considered to be assafe as any other city. The threat is only in the interiors. Industrialist Padmesh Gupta of Gupta Groupsays that there is a huge question on what should come first, security or investment, not unlike thechicken and egg story. "However, there are chances that huge incentives will attract industries to thearea. The locals who make up the Naxal cadre may find jobs in factories," he said. (Times of India6/12/12)Two new C’garh Naxal divisions along borders (12)Naxals have of late created two new divisions in Chhattisgarh along its borders with Orissa andMaharashtra apparently to retain consolidation of their base in Bastar region in the wake of increasingpressure on them by forces, intelligence sources said on Saturday. Sources said Maoist leadership has“reorganised” organisational networks in Chhattisgarh areas bordering with Orissa and Maharashtra tomake the borders with the neighbouring states “porous” to pave way for escape of Naxals in Bastarwhenever security forces mounted pressure in their “traditional stronghold”. The new Chhattisgarh-Orissadivision has been created bringing under its control three committees — Gariabandh committee operatingin eastern Chhattisgarh and Bargarh and Nuapara committees functioning in western Orissa. DreadedNaxal leader Madhvi is tipped to head the newly created division. The rebels are reportedly desperate togive shape to their plan to open north coastal Andhra — south Orissa-eastern Chhattisgarh corridor — toensure smooth movement of Naxals from Andhra Pradesh to Chhattisgarh and Jharkhand via south andwestern Orissa. “We have stepped up security in eastern Chhattis-garh bordering western Orissa bydeploying two additional CRPF units and half-a-dozen Chhattisgarh Armed Force (CAF) units to foil theNaxals’ plan to open the proposed Red corridor”, a senior police officer here said. Similarly, Naxals havereportedly created another new division, Chhattisgarh-Maharashtra division, bringing Rajnandgaoncommittee active in west Chhattisgarh and Gadchhiroli committee operating in border areas of westMaharashtra under its jurisdiction to open up an escape route for Naxals in Bastar in western side duringoperations by forces in south Bastar region. (Asian Age 9/12/12)Naxals ‘carve out new zone’ on Maharashtra-MP border (12)In a bid to reassert their presence in central India, the Communist Party of India (Maoists) has carved outa new zone for their operations comprising Gadchiroli, Gonia and Balaghat areas in Maharasthra andMadhya Pradesh. According to security officials, they have renamed the area as North Gadchiroli GondiaBalaghat Divisional Committee and are now actively recruiting. The Maoists have also appointed aseparate leader, Pahad Singh, to look after the unit. The security officials are yet to identify all the Maoistsbehind the revival plan. The rebels already have a strong presence in Gadchiroli in Maharashtra.Meanwhile, the Ministry of Home Affair has taken a serious note of the resignations of 127 grampanchayat leaders and other public representatives under threat from the Maoists. “The Maoists arecoalescing smaller rebel groups with bigger ones and carrying out fresh recruitment in Gadchiroli area. Inthe last couple of months we have had good contacts with the Maoists and are giving them a tough fight,”said Pranay Sahay, DG, CRPFIn the last three months, the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) had 10encounters with the rebels. MHA data say 71 alleged Maoists have been arrested from the state. TheCRPF has deployed around 6,000 men in the state, including a battalion of the CoBRA commandos. Asenior CRPF official involved in the operations said that Maoists want to take advantage of inter-stateboundary disputes to strengthen their presence. “We have received intelligence inputs and this could bepart of their new strategy to fight the state,” the official said. (Indian Express 10/12/12)27 Naxals surrender in Muzaffarpur (12)Patna: The Bihar Police achieved a major success in its fight against Naxalism when altogether 27 ultras,including an area commander, surrendered before the security forces in Muzaffarpur on Thursday.Additional Director General of Police (Tirhut zone), Gupteshwar Pandey said that a hard-core extremist,

Arun Paswan, who was Area Commander in the ultra left outfit, also surrendered. He said that 20 ultrasbelonged to Muzaffarpur district, four to Darbhanga district and three to Sitamarhi district. Since a functionwas going on at Zila School ground where ultras surrendered, extremists did not carry firearms whilesurrendering. He said that ultras deposited their firearms at a police station before making their surrenderpublic at the function, attended by several senior administrative and police officers. Inspector-General ofPolice (Operations) Amit Kumar told The Pioneer that at least 269 naxalites had surrendered in variousdistricts of the state so far. He said that the Government’s surrender and rehabilitation policy 2006 hadlargely served its purpose and the intended goals had been achieved since the introduction of the policy.(Pioneer 14/12/12)Anti-Naxal operations spread across Dalma (12)Jamshedpur: With reports suggesting ultras belonging to banned outfit CPI(Maoist) trying to regain theirgrip at Dalma, Bodam and Patamda where they have almost been eliminated in the anti-insurgencyoperations carried out during the past couple of years, a joint force of CRPF and district armed policeengaged in flushing out ultras of CPI(Maoist) on Friday launched an offensive operation at the Dalmaarea. According to information acting on a tip-off, the security has been beefed up in Dalma Hills andforces are on with search operation to nab the ultras. The district police confirmed to have launched afresh anti-insurgency operation in the Bengal border along the Dalma-Patamda and MGM area. Acombing operation was started at Bota and Konkadasa villages deep into the sprawling Dalma. Thoughthe police and Paramilitary forces did not come across any rebels as such, in the initial state they havefound evidence of the armed Naxals roaming in a number of villages which till 2009 December used to bea stronghold area of the rebels. Revealing about the fresh movement of Naxals district, Superintendent ofPolice (rural) Rajiv Ranjan Singh said that they had information that an eight-member armed squad ofNaxals are frequently visiting Konkadasa village since the past one month. “We cannot reveal much onthe operation due to security seasons. We have started anti-insurgency operation only after gettingauthentic information about the Naxals’ movement in the villages on the Dalma hills,” said the seniorpolice officer. “The CRPF’s Asanbani camp was shifted to Giridih despite strong protest by the localvillagers against the shifting of the camp. But after the recent intelligence input that the rebels’ outfit, CPI(Maoist) had a major reshuffle at the top level in the eastern India, the Naxals have once again startedsneaking into the hills,” said the SP (Rural). According to intelligence report, there is no area commanderin Dalma, and some senior rebel leader from neighbouring Purulia district is holding command of hills.Sources reveal that the armed squad which does sneak into selected villages on the hills is motivating thevillages to provide shelter to the rebels like they used to get till December 2009. Sources informed thatapart from ensuring deployment of addition police and paramilitary forces, the operations and patrollinghad been intensified to check the possibility of entry of Maoists from neighbouring States. Strict vigil isbeing kept in Maoist-affected pockets of the district including Dumaria, Bodam and Potka. (Pioneer15/12/12)SSB to be deployed in Naxal areas, J&K (12)NEW DELHI: With greater thrust on anti-Naxal operations in the past few years, the government maysoon deploy one more paramilitary force, the Sashastra Seema Bal (SSB), in left wing extremism (LWE)areas. CRPF, BSF and ITBP are already deployed in various naxal-affected districts in the country. Theforce, responsible for guarding the Indo-Nepal and Indo-Bhutan borders, may also find itself quellingprotests in Jammu and Kashmir as a deployment of the force in the Valley is proposed. This would,interestingly, run counter to the government's promise of decreasing paramilitary footprint in theValley.SSB chief Arun Chaudhary on Monday told the media during SSB's annual press conference thatabout 8,000-10,000 men would initially be deployed in Jammu and Kashmir. "We are ready to go inJammu and Kashmir. This will be a new work in the next year, when we send 8-10 battalions (8,000-10,000 men) to theses areas. We will work with CRPF and BSF there and extend internal security relatedduties," he said. The DG said the proposal has been "more or less" approved by the home ministry andthe force is likely to be deployed in Jammu and Kashmir by February. Chaudhary also said the force willsoon have a water-wing for patrolling the Indo-Nepal border. "In this financial year, we will be categorizingthe rivers. Rivers, which basically have perennial water supply through out the year, will get preference asfar as patrolling is concerned. Then the priority will go to dry nallahs and other water resources which donot have sufficient water during the year. This year, we will ensure that at least two places like East andWest Champaran (Bihar) and other places where you have broad river length, is covered for patrolling,"

he said. The SSB guards the 1,751 km Indo-Nepal and 699-km Indo-Bhutan borders. There are largewater bodies like rivers Kali, Sharda, Ghagra, Gandak, Kosi and Mechi running across and along theIndo-Nepal border. Monitoring these water bodies becomes difficult in the rainy season and they becomesusceptible for exploitation by anti-national elements. The water-wing, which will be equipped with highspeed boats, water scooters, inflatable boats, among others, will ensure effective patrolling, the SSB chiefsaid. To bolster security on the border, SSB has also installed surveillance cameras at three places alongthe porous Indo-Nepal border to check infiltration and smuggling of narcotics and fake Indian currencynotes. Chaudhary said such cameras (a total of 24 in number) will soon be installed at other areas alongboth the Indo-Nepal and Indo-Bhutan borders. The surveillance cameras will capture all the movement24x7 basis and the feed can be watched at different headquarters and digital recording can also be kept.(Times of India 18/12/12)Naxals torch 18 vehicles in Jharkhand (12)Ranchi: Suspected Maoists on Sunday torched 18 vehicles involved in construction of a railway tunnel inWest Singhbhum district in Jharkhand. Nobody was injured in the attack, carried out in presence ofconstruction workers. Police said the workers and contractor are locals. “There was dispute over themethod of construction. The Maoists want the use of manual labour to prolong work. The contractor hadrequested the Railways to let him use manual labour and machines, but his request was turned downthree days ago,” said IG S N Pradhan. The 680 metre-long tunnel will be important to freight movement inthe region. (Indian Express 18/12/12)State’s ‘Pota Cabin Schools’ in Naxal areas make waves (12)A large number of ‘Pota Cabin Schools’ made of ‘pre-fabricated structures’ dotted across districts ofChhattisgarh’s insurgency-affected Bastar region is making waves among powers-that-be at the Centre.The Central Government recently approved a proposal to follow the immensely successful initiative of theRaman Singh Government for their implementation in other insurgency affected States such as Odhisha,West Bengal, Andhra Pradesh and Bihar , an official statement issued here said on Monday. Funds hadalready been approved for Jharkhand for implementating the’Pota Cabin School Model’. The Centre isconfident that the Chhattigarh model would prove beneficial for all the insurgency-affected States as itwould assist in ensuring contuinity and quality in education for the children. As a result, the Centre hadnow approved to advance funds after mapping out an elaborate strategy under ‘Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan’for the insurgency-affected states. The Chhattisgarh government has so far almost covered all Bastardistricts in building the pre-fabricated school structures. The prime reason which necessitated buildingpre-fabricated structures for schools had been the outcome of the insurgents destroying schools andother structures made of brick and mortar on the belief that these were being used as the accommodationfor the security forces involved in counter insurgency operations in the affected areas. The easilytransportable school structures have not only been proved cost effective to build, they are fulfilling thetargetted objectives of providing education in the affected areas and found also in consonance with theneeds of the tribal population. The approval for building the pre-fabricated structures had also emanatedfrom the contention that the Centre received a volley of criticism from several quarters in its inability toensure quality education and provision of infrastructure in the insurgency affected areas dominated bythe tribals and the poorest of the population. The Centre is also planning to expand its ‘KendriyaVidyalaya’ network to the insurgency affected areas for bringing quality education to such regions.(Pioneer 19/12/12)Decline in Naxal-related incidents (12)RAIPUR: Chhattisgarh government on Wednesday claimed that concerted efforts put in force by varioussecurity agencies in the state have substantially brought down the number of Naxal-related incidents thisyear. "A steep decline in naxal incidents has been reported this year since 2004. Pro-active measures bythe security forces have thwarted the naxal attempts. Although, Maoists were attempting to strengthentheir hold in other districts, regular cordoning operations have prevented them to do so," home ministerNankiram Kanwar said in reply to a calling attention motion on the floor of state assembly.Claiming thatnaxal-related incidents have fallen to half in the current year in comparison to 2006, Kanwar said thenumber of cases involving killing of innocent people has also come down. (Times of India 20/12/12)Manager of Pranhita project held for Naxal links (12)

CHANDRAPUR/NAGPUR: The prestigious Pranhita-Chevella Irrigation Project, a joint venture ofMaharashtra and Andhra Pradesh, has come under scanner of security forces following the arrest of amanager of one of the private companies engaged in the work for close links with Naxals. VenkatrammaReddy, the manager of Hyderabad's Sushee Infrastructure Private Limited, was nabbed by Jimulgattapolice in Aheri tehsil on Saturday along with two others in Devalmari jungle of Gadchiroli. The trio washeaded to meet a group of Naxals to provide logistics and financial support. They were also in possessionof incriminating material brought as an aid for Naxals. One of the accused is a leader of NCP and exchairmanof Sironcha Panchayat Samiti. Cops investigating the recent encounter with Naxals inLankachen jungle near Venkatapur in October last year got information about some persons having closeassociation with a Naxal dalam. The arrested persons had helped in shifting the injured in Lankachenencounter to nearby villages and providing medical assistance. The security forces got information thatNaxals were scheduled to meet in Jimulgatta jungle following which a trap was laid under the guidance ofAheri SDPO Sandeep Bauche on Saturday and Reddy, Satyanarayan Parpatlawar and ChhinayyaSoyam were caught. Sources said NCP leader from Sironcha Parpatlawar reportedly acted as amiddleman between the manager and Naxals. Superintendent of police Suvez Haque confirmed thearrest of three Naxal supporters. "We had information about the movement of some persons who oftenbrought aid for the Naxal dalam involved in Lankachen encounter. The operation to nab them wasplanned accordingly," he said. The trio was produced before the judicial magistrate who sent them topolice custody till December 28. Sources said Reddy was working on the irrigation project onChandrapur-Gadchiroli border for the last couple of months. Haq said the manager belonged to AndhraPradesh and had supplied cash to Naxals in the past. Details of material seized from the accused couldnot be known, but sources said some cash was also recovered. (Times of India 24/12/12)Woman naxal leader killed in Gadchiroli (12)Nagpur: The senior Naxalite leader and the lone female member of central committee of CPI (Maoist),Narmadakka is believed to have been killed in a police naxalite encounter, near Hiker village, borderingAbujhmad of Chhattisgarh, in south Gadchiroli recently. According to reports, the Naxalites attacked apolice party on December 4 last in Hiker jungle under Aheri tahsil of Gadchiroli district, during a routinepatrolling. The police party retaliated and a woman naxalite was killed while four-five other Maoists wereinjured in the fierce hour-long firing, informed Mohd Suvej Haq, the superintendent of police (SP),Gadchiroli district. “The naxalite managed to carry the body and fled the scene,” Haq said. Theintelligence sources identified the women naxalite killed in the encounter as Narmada. “We also hearabout it from our sources. Now we are waiting for the confirmation from the naxalite,” he said. It was saidthat she was buried at Malwada tribal village in Kanker district of Chhattisgarh. Narmadakka (46) wasappointed as divisional secretary of South Gadchiroli division a few years ago after the death ofShivanna. She was later elevated as chief of the women wing of CPI (Maoist) and subsequently ascentral committee member. She was the second female activist in the CPI (Maoist) organization who wasselected to the central committee after Anuradha Gandhi. Gandhi, wife of Kobad Gandhi, a polit bureaumember of CPI(Maoist), who is now in jail, died of malaria, a few years ago. Narmada, who was believedto be killed in the encounter, belonged to neighbouring Andhra Pradesh and was a college dropout. Aftertaking over reins of the Gadchiroli unit a few years ago, she set up five different platoons -- an aggressivemilitary force -- in her territory equipped with modern arms, ammunition and latest communication networkto counter the state machinery. She was the wife of CPI (Maoist) ideologue Sudhakar allias Kiran, whoworks for its publication division. Sudhakar is now a polit bureau member of CPI (Maoist). Narmadakkadeath would be a major blow for the naxalite movement in Dandakaranya region as she was instrumentalfor mobilising women folk for the ultra-left movement in the area. (Hindustan Times 27/12/12)Cops in Naxal area to get counselling services (12)RAIPUR: Amid a recent incident of fratricide in Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) and suicides bypolice and other staff posted in Naxalite areas, Chhattisgarh police have set up a team comprising Art ofLiving expert and psychiatrist to provide counselling service to security forces in the Maoist insurgencyaffectedBastar region. Inspector general of police (Bastar range) Himanshu Kumar said the Bastar policehave constituted a committee, comprising experts has been set up to provide counseling services tosecurity personnel to cope with depression and instill in them a positive mindset through positivethoughts. The team comprises psychiatrist Dr Valsala Mariam, Art of Living educational coordinatorAshwini Maggu, sociologist M Ali and district prosecution officer A V Guru. The team will visit camps of

security personnel in all nine districts of Bastar, Dantewada, Narayanpur Bijapur, Kanker, Kondagaon andSukma to provide them counselling services to security personnel facing depression and other mentaland physical problems. Art of Living has been providing "trauma relief" by conducting workshops inChhattisgarh's Bastar region, which has been affected by Maoist violence for long. According to Art ofLiving, in the workshops, the participants were taught powerful breathing techniques to release fear,trauma and focus on contributing to society through service. The workshops enabled participants to let goof their shock and sorrow, preparing them to restart their lives with resilience, strength and calm. A fewdays ago, a Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) constable had opened fire at a camp in Dantewada,killing four of his colleagues and injuring another constable. Later, the authorities had claimed that he wasapparently disturbed. There were other incidents in which state police officials committed suicide aftertheir posting in Bastar for long time. Earlier in March this year, an IPS officer Rahul Sharmaâ€”who wasearlier posted in Dantewada as SPâ€”reportedly committed suicide by shooting himself during his postingas SP in Bilaspur district. While the CBI is looking into the circumstances that led to death, preliminaryinvestigations suggested that he was in depression. (Times of India 30/12/12)Security forces bust Naxalite training camp in Chhattisgarh (12)RAIPUR: Security forces have busted a Naxalite training camp following an encounter with the ultrasduring a search operation conducted in Jappemarka forests in Bijapur district of Chhattishgarh, a toppolice official said on Sunday. A couple of detonators, battery, wire, Maoist literature, ration, medicines inlarge quantity and other naxalite-related materials, besides books, stationary items and stitchingmachines were recovered from the camping site, inspector general of police (Bastar range) HimanshuGupta told reporters here. "Joint forces comprising CRPF, district force and STF were on combingoperation in the forest area of Kamkanar, Chokhanpal and Jampemarka of the district since last threedays. "On Friday, the jawnas mobilized on a tip-off about a Naxal training camp in village JappemarkaPosewada and later busted it after a fierce gun-battle with ultras," Gupta said. On seeing the securityforces, the naxals opened indiscriminate firing following which the jawans also launched retaliatory attack,after which the ultras fled, he added. "Even when the joint team was returning after conducting the searchoperation, they came across a group of Maoist insurgents who opened firing on them in Marriwada villageunder Gangalur police station area," Gupta said, adding the naxals fled after jawans returned the fire. TheIG said that besides naxal literature and other related materials, the search party also recovered a table,a chair, an alphabetical chart, some question papers and answers sheets from the camping site whichindicates that the naxalites were running a temporary school there. (Times of India 31/12/12)

NAXAL/ MAOISTS- 2012 - Indian Social Institute

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