War Against Maoists In India

02-17-2008, 08:21 AM

Maoist menace spreads to urban areas

02-17-2008, 10:14 PM

QUOTESecurity forces eliminate 20 Maoists in Orissa

Sun, Feb 17, 2008

Bhubaneswar, Feb 17 : At least 20 Maoists were killed by the security forces during a massive combing operation in five districts of Orissa, including Nayagarh, where 15 people were killed in the Friday night's Maoist attack.

However, three Special Operation Group (SOG) personnel were also killed in the combing operation launched in Nayagarh, Ganjam, Gajapati, Kandhamal and Rayagada districts.

"We have information about killing of 20 Maoists and three jawans of Special Operation Group (SOG) during the combing operation," Home Secretary T K Mishra told reporters.

"We have started intense combat operation in different parts of the region. We have got additional deployment of police force and additional support from Government of India, and senior officials of the State Government and the Home Ministry are monitoring the situation," said Mishra.

Fifteen people, including 13 policemen, a civilian and a gram rakhi (village guard), were killed when armed Naxalites unleashed a wave of attacks on police establishments like police stations, district police armoury and police training centre in Nayagarh late on Friday night.

Twelve policemen and women also sustained injuries in the attacks. The condition of some of the injured police personnel is stated to be critical.

In a daring and meticulously planned wave of attacks, the ultras virtually laid a siege to the town.

The Naxals, who included women cadres, looted huge quantities of arms and ammunitions from the district armoury in a truck and a bus they hijacked; besides setting on fire the police stations and vehicles. The arms looted by the ultras included light machine guns and assault rifles.

02-20-2008, 11:40 PM

Poppy grown by Maoists destroyed in Bihar QUOTEPatna, Feb 20 (IANS) Authorities in Bihar have destroyed poppy crops allegedly grown by Maoists. Opium is made from the poppy. âA joint team of police and excise department officials destroyed poppy crops grown by Maoists in Gaya district Tuesday,â a police official told IANS.

However, any Maoists or their agents involved in poppy cultivation could not be arrested, the official said.

âWe have destroyed the crops grown on 24 acres of land under Imamganj police station area,â Omprakash Singh, a senior excise department official said Imamganj and its adjoining areas in Gaya are considered the strongholds of outlawed Communist Party of Indian-Maoist.

Singh said the leftist guerrillas cultivate poppy to fund their illegal activities. He said police had received a tip-off about opium crops grown by the insurgents.

According to the police Maoists are also engaged in opium cultivation in forest areas bordering Jharkhand besides in Gaya and Hazaribagh districts of Jharkhand.

02-20-2008, 11:47 PM

Home Ministers response to Naxals
QUOTEToday Mr. Shivraj Patil - the Indian Home minister was on Devils Advocate.Â In true congress style, he was highlighting that only three states had problems. These are non Congress ruled of course. Andhra Pradesh, in his view is excellent. Apparently allowing the naxals to regroup has not had any adverse impact on them.

Does he really appreciate the nature of this ? :

Shivraj Patil: I also said it â that if anybody dies, we should be worried. If there is bloodshed taking place we should be worried. And that is if he is cautioning the people to help the activity of the government and the entire society the violence of the entire society to control the violence and bloodshed and terrorism, heâs not wrong. But you canât have his minister contradicting his statement taking out of context one sentence here, one sentence there.

02-22-2008, 06:13 PM

QUOTEMaoists kill 3 persons in Bihar

Feb 22 2008

Bihar, Feb 22 (ANI): CPI (Maoist) activists on Friday shot dead three persons at a village in Bihar's East Champaran District.

Around midnight, a group of armed activists of a banned outfit raided Pipra village, which falls under the jurisdiction of the Darpa Police Station and killed three farmers. Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) A K Singh said a combing operation has been launched for the assailants.

02-26-2008, 09:37 PM

In Naxalâs latest den, police station canât fill up vacancies

QUOTENaxalism in Orissa was revived in 1996 by Sabyasachi Panda

Naxals now hold sway over 12 of the stateâs 30 districts 

Successive Orissa govts did very little to deal with Naxals. But the looting of police stations, the most recent being the attack at Nayagarh which left 15 policemen dead, saw CM Naveen Patnaik promise a stronger police machinery

Naxals opposing development projects. Despite tenders being cleared five times, project for a bridge over Sileru river in Motu has not taken off

02-29-2008, 09:15 PM

03-03-2008, 02:01 AM

QUOTECPI (Maoist) plans to make South Asia hub of revolution
pioneer.com
Rakesh K Singh | New Delhi
The Communist Party of India (Maoist), the key outfit responsible for ultra-Left extremism across the Compact Revolutionary Zone encompassing a corridor from Andhra Pradesh to Nepal with parts of Bihar, Jharkhand and West Bengal in its ambit, plans to make South Asia a "Cyclonic Centre of World Revolution."

In order to carry forward its international agenda, the outfit has established links with Revolutionary International Movement (RIM) and Coordination Committee of Maoist Parties and Organisations of South Asia (CCOMPOSA), besides links with the Communist Party of Nepal (Maoist).

With a view to further intensify its activities, the outfit has shown an increasing tendency to make a common cause with secessionist and fundamentalist organisations, including fringe Islamist groups. The outfit may actively participate in joint programmes with the CPN (M), the Communist Party of Philippines (CPP), the Communist Party of Turkey Marxist and Leninist (TKP/ML) and other like-minded Maoist parties of the world, a senior intelligence official said.

The intelligence agencies have reliable input that KLO and ULFA, the insurgent outfits active in the North East, have joined hands with the Communist Party of Nepal (Maoist). The security agencies suspect that the CPN (M) may extend a hand to the ULFA/KLO in their anti-India activities. A Maoist unit named Bhutan Communist Party (Marxist-Leninist-Maoist) has been established in the Bhupali (Bhutanese of Nepalese origin) camps in Nepal under the aegis of the CPN (M), the official elaborated.

There is apprehension among the security agencies that this unit could cause considerable problems in the border areas. In the hilly jungle areas of Dooars and Terai, border management for both Indo-Nepal and Indo-Bhutan borders should be considerably upgraded to deal with the emerging situation effectively, said a senior Union Home Ministry official.

The latest documents suggest that the CPI (Maoist) has cadre strength of 11,455 with another 50,000 over ground cadre. Its weaponry includes AK series rifles, light machine guns (LMGs), rifles, grenades and mortars among others.

The CPI (Maoist) came into being on September 21, 2004 with the merger of the Maoist Communist Centre of India (MCC) and the Communist Party of India (Marxist-Leninist). Following the merger of the two outfits to form the CPI (Maoist), the movement gained strength both militarily and politically, and 34 Maoist outfits currently have presence in 186 districts across 13 States and violence reported from 91 districts last year.

The Maoist outfits have upgraded weaponry and technology with significant use of remote control and timer devices. The outfits are using improvised rockets and have indigenously developed mortars.

03-03-2008, 08:43 PM

Today there was a news report of Maoists hanging an man by his legs to an tree as an punishment for some crime that the maoists allege he committed. There was no judge or an lawyer to defend the accused person. The naxals in their kangaroo court ordered the man to be hanged to the tree by his legs.

The man is poor and has been in that position for over 72 hours.

ravish was supporting the maoists and painting them as saviours of the poor. Wonder what excuse will he give now for the barbaric way in which the maoists have acted against that poor person.

03-04-2008, 09:14 PM

QUOTEFour steps to curb Naxalism

While the Naxalite movement is gaining momentum, the government machinery to tackle it remains weak. For example, the Maoists were able to hold in January-February the ninth congress of their central committee for four days at a hideout on the Jharkhand-Orissa border without any official coming to know about it. About 1,000 hard-core Maoists, including a few from Nepal, attended this congress. The government heard about the event only after the delegates had dispersed and distributed to the public copies of the resolutions passed by the congress. Even in the worst affected states, Chhattisgarh and Jharkhand, a large number of police posts remain unfilled. In the former, 42 per cent posts of deputy superintendents of police, 50 per cent of sub-inspectors and 20 per cent of constables are lying vacant; in the latter, the corresponding percentage are 34, 22 and 17.

In this phase, another basic change has come about. The new strategy is to target the policemen and persons in authority, on the one hand, and on the other, to create the public impression that the Naxalites are fighting for the poor masses. For example, during the attack on police posts in Orissaâs Nayagarh district on February 16, they repeatedly announced over loudspeaker that no harm would be done to the people.

A key question for the immediate future is: How should India tackle the serious challenge to its internal security by a reorganised, reinvigorated and re-equipped Naxal movement which is proceeding in accordance to a well thought-out strategy of first establishing a "compact revolutionary zone," extending from the jungles of North Bihar to Jharkhand, Orissa, Chhattisgarh, Andhra Pradesh, Maharashtra and Karnataka and then using that zone for seizing the cities and the power structure of the state? Four major measures are badly needed.

First and foremost, a strong and sustained campaign needs to be launched to relieve rural distress, which, of late, has assumed serious proportions. A recent national survey has revealed that about 33 per cent of Indiaâs population, that is, about 200 million rural people, live on only Rs 12 a day. About 36 million young people, between 15 and 29 years, are "usually unemployed"; on some days, as many as 58 million remain without work. In these circumstances, anger and frustration of the people and their attraction for movements like the Naxal movement are understandable.

Take, for example, the case of Jharkhand, which is the second worst Naxalite-affected state. Here, about 50 per cent of the total population of 27 million live below the poverty line; 21 million, that is, about 78 per cent, live in the rural areas; 80 per cent of its farm-holdings fall in small and marginal category. Tube well irrigation is next to nothing. There is an acute shortage of power. Though harvesting water during the rainy season can grow a second crop, no one in the administration and village community takes the initiative to start a campaign for conserving and storing water. Nor does anyone tap the financial and technical resources that are available under the Bharat Nirman and National Food Security and horticulture missions. Thus, because of cultivation only in one season, low productivity, poor infrastructure, somnambulant governance and increasing pressure of population, rural distress and discontent get intensified. Educated and semi-educated youngsters are becoming particularly bitter. All this provides ample opportunities to the Naxalites to play upon the frustration of the people and offer them a "romantic solution" of changing the current social, economic and political order through a violent revolution. Able-bodied persons are weaned away to join the active Naxal cadres and other villagers are enlisted as supporters.

It speaks volumes about the failure of Indian polity, Indian leadership and Indian social and cultural milieu that a very large number of people in the country should still go hungry and jobless every day, while millions of others get more and more affluent. The Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme, if implemented effectively, may provide some relief to the jobless unskilled villagers. But it would do nothing for the hordes of other unemployed persons and their hungry families. What is required is a far more basic change in economic priorities, a change in the work culture, and a change in the earnestness of leadership.

Secondly, the state governments which are covered by the "compact revolutionary zone" and through which the red corridor passes, must make an effective institutional arrangement to coordinate police action against the Naxalites. Intelligence should be shared and joint operations launched. Special squads of personnel trained to operate in forests and hilly areas and suitably equipped to counter guerrilla tactics should be raised by each of the affected states. The dictum should be, "Fight a guerrilla like a guerrilla."

Thirdly, the fearsome environment which the Naxal movement has engendered needs to be highlighted through a strong publicity campaign. The public must be repeatedly reminded that terror is central to the thinking of the Naxalites who openly advocate "creation of terror for a while in every rural area." Likewise, the dangerous implications of some of the ideas propagated by Naxal-ideologues, such as the right of "sub-nationalities" for self-determination and even secession, should be explained to the public. It should be indicated how unworkable and unpatriotic these ideas are, how they would Balkanise India, how bloody strife would ensue, inviting interference of those very "imperialist powers" whom the Naxalites so vehemently denounce.

Fourthly, narrow political calculations have to be kept at bay. In 1982, N.T. Rama Rao played electoral politics. He called the Naxalites true patriots who had been misunderstood by the ruling classes. By 1985, however, he was forced to take action against them. M. Chenna Reddy, Congress CM, acted no differently. In 1989, he too declared that the Naxalites were patriots. When subsequent chief minister N. Chandrababu Naidu adopted a firm approach against the Naxalites, it was Rajashekhar Reddyâs turn to appease them. In other states too political parties and individual leaders have not hesitated to arrive at an understanding of mutual help with the Naxalites. This has enabled the latter to carve out an unhindered space for their activities, while the former have been getting electoral support of the Naxal cadre at the time of elections. This mutual understanding was widely noticed in Bihar and Jharkhand during the last state elections.

If Indiaâs future has to be made safe from the destructive potential of Naxalism, the infections in her social, economic and political structure which caused the malady in the late Sixties, have to be eliminated. The four measures suggested earlier would substantially help in doing so. But true and lasting cure of Naxalism and other perplexing problems of internal security would emerge only from a set of fundamental reforms in both the structure and soul of governance in India.

Jagmohan is a former governor of Jammu and Kashmir and a former Union minister.

03-05-2008, 09:00 PM

Maoists following in the footsteps of taliban and the left wing warlords.

Maoists start cultivating opium to fund their terror campaign
Amitabh Srivastava

March 2, 2008

In select pockets of Bihar, the Maoists terrorists these days seem more concerned about the soil's PH levels, right fertilisers and the plant germination methods.

But that's no harbinger of positive change. Instead, things are even more ominous. Because the Naxalites have begun growing opium poppies to fund their operations in the regionâsomething they had been doing since long in neighbouring north Jharkhand districts.

This came to be known when on February 21, a team of narcotics and police officials recovered 81,000 poppy plants from an agricultural field in Ajnama of Naxal-infested Mohanpur area of Bihar's Gaya district.

"The entire area under Mohanpur police station is extremism-infested and is heavily forested," reads the FIR lodged to this effect by police sub-inspector Ram Sidheswar Azad. A copy of this FIR is with India Today.

According to the FIR lodged to this effect, the police team raided these fields when opium was being harvested from the poppy crops. Opium and its cultivation is an offence liable for prosecution under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act.

But the seizure was just the beginning. Three days later on February 24, the police again raided another village, Reswar to seize 10 bags stuffed with harvested opium. The police also arrested an accused Meghu Prasad, who is believed to have revealed the names of the Naxalites chieftains who are patronising the produce.

The third such catch within a week in Gaya was made on February 26 when the cops seized opium crops that was tucked away in the remote interiors of Tetaria village located at Bihar-Jharkhand borders. The seized opium here has an estimated worth of Rs four crore in the international market.

It is not as if the authorities have not been vigilant all these years. But, last week's seizure of 10 acres of poppy crops from a remote village at Kishanganj district in Bihar also suggests that the opium traders have spread to new areas in the State while the Narcotics Department and the police have failed to break the stranglehold of the heroin cartel in Bihar.

Incidentally, in addition to the seizure last week, the Kishanganj authorities also discovered another 10 acre of agricultural stretch from where opium had already been harvested.

The opium extraction process involves making a shallow cut to release little blobs of opium from the seed capsule. The process takes three to six hours for the opium to get released.

Because of the district's strategic geo-political significance and close proximity to the Indo-Nepal and Indo-Bangladesh borders, the ISI and Nepalese Maoists have often been found having more than academic interest in Kishanganj district in Bihar.

According to Gaya Superintendent of Police Amit Jain, the areas from where the Gaya police have seized the opium crops are strongholds of the Maoists. "These zones are not normally visited by the police," he admitted. This may be because of the Maoists threat and also due to the inaccessibility of these villages.

Jain, who is nevertheless credited for initiating the first ever drive aimed at breaking the nexus between unscrupulous farmers and their Maoists patrons in Bihar, says he has "definite information" that the rebels have engaged more farmers to plant poppy crops. "We have many more such raids in the offing," he said.

Police have "definite information" suggesting that the Maoists are not only growing poppy, but also extorting "taxes" from farmers and opium traders.

The bordering areas of Bihar and Jharkhand have conducive climate for Papaver somniferum, the botanical name for Opium plants that prefer a cool climate over hot weather.

In hot areas, the plants grow best in loose, well drained soil and don't do well in dense soil like clay. Incidentally, no agriculture family in the two States have government license to grow poppy.

Bihar Excise (that also has the Narcotics bureau) Department Secretary Amir Subhani admits that the recovery of opium cultivation across various pockets of the state has given them reason to "launch integrated operations with the police to home in on the traders."

"We have taken serious note of the recoveries. Besides coordinating drives with police, we are also in the process of teaming up with the Jharkhand authorities to ensure crackdown on the poppy traders, " Subhani told India Today. A Special Task force is to be formed to destroy the opium fields, besides arresting those involved in the illegal trade.

Incidentally, according to Jain the cops have also begun similar coordination exercise with their counterparts in Jharkhand. "The focus is on border-free crackdown on Maoists and those who grow illegal poppy," he said.

Meanwhile, Bihar's Criminal Investigation Department too has initiated a focused probe to get to the bottom of illegal Opium trade in the State.

The proactive efforts may also see Bihar and Jharkhand authorities following Arunachal Pradesh's example of employing satellite services to detect illegal poppy cultivation.

Earlier the opium cultivation was found restricted to Jharkhand's Hazaribag and Chatra districts only that border Bihar's Gaya district.

The Jharkhand police first stumbled upon poppy cultivation by the Maoists in 2005 when it found pockets of the interiors being used for illegally growing opium. Today, even by conservative estimates, more than a few hundred acres of agriculture land in several villages across the two states is reportedly being used for poppy cultivation.

The Maoists hand behind cultivate of poppy crops appears unmistakably clear, and it suits them as much. According to a police officer, the Naxalite by extending their patronage to poppy crops not only help the villagers earn a fast buck and thus woo more foot-soldiers into their fold but also earn a decent levy for their coffers, besides of course using the cash to strengthen their arsenal.

According to reports, in the narcotic world even low quality stuff yield fetches Rs 18,000-22,000 a kilo and while better produce fetches much more. "This easy money indeed is a huge motivation that drives the farmers for poppy cultivation," said a senior police officer.

Indeed, with Maoists active in 30 out of its 38 districts, Bihar has continued to remain one of the worst affected States in terms of Left Wing extremism. Similarly, the rebels have a presence in 20 of the 24 districts in Jharkhand.

Earlier, Hazaribag police superintendent Praveen Singh has personally conducted several raids to destroy poppy cultivation grown by the Maoists conduits. The police in Hazaribag have arrested more than a dozen people so far.

Similarly, in the adjoining Chatra district of Jharkhand, the opium trade has become the most lucrative option for unscrupulous farmers,backed by the Maoists chieftains who motivate and protect them from the police and greedy traders . It fetches them very good returns.

Obviously, with such large tracts under illegal poppy cultivation, it does not take long for the traffickers and smugglers to find new havens. Time for the officials to pull up their socks.

03-05-2008, 10:43 PM

QUOTENew IR Battalions For Anti-Naxal Operations

Wednesday, March 05, 2008

The Central Government has recently approved the raising of 35 additional India Reserve (IR) battalions during the period 2007-08 to 2009-10, to be sanctioned, as per the internal security situation and requirements, to various States, including those affected by naxalite activities.

In the 9 states, Andhra Pradesh, Bihar, Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, Orissa, Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh and West Bengal, where, for dealing with naxalite activities, assistance for the policing and operational needs of security forces is provided under the Security Related Expenditure (SRE) scheme of Ministry of Home Affairs, 26 IR battalions have already been sanctioned earlier.

These have added to the capabilities of the State police forces in dealing with various law and order problems.

For dealing with naxalite activities, States are being assisted in, and requested for, steps as are important for effective policing, which include filling up of vacancies in State police forces and the raising of specialized forces, trained in counter-insurgency and jungle-warfare.

This information was given by the Minister of State in the Ministry of Home Affairs, Shri Sriprakash Jaiswal in a written reply to a question in Rajya Sabha today.

Naxalities stop killing farmers and poor villagers otherwise the IRB will come and kick your ass.

03-09-2008, 08:17 PM

QUOTEWoman Maoist leader surrenders in Orissa <!--emo& Big Grin

--><img src='style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/biggrin.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='biggrin.gif' />
9 Mar 2008

DEOGARH (Orissa): A woman Maoist leader involved in several attacks has surrendered before the police along with arms here, police said on Sunday.

Pushpa Tirkey (30), who was leading a women's wing of the Maoists active in Sambalpur and Deogarh areas, surrendered on Saturday, Superintendent of Police, Safeen Ahmed said.

Tirkey, who joined the outfit in 2005, was trained in Serenda forest areas in neighbouring Jharkhand, police said adding that she also surrendered her arms including a rifle.

She was involved in a number of Maoist attacks between 2005 and 2007 in Orissa, she was a resident of Mendiakani village, around 35 km from here, he said.

Efforts were being made to persuade Tirkey to give up arms for a long time and finally police succeeded in convincing her to surrender, he added.

Constant efforts of police in convincing her to renounce the path of terrorism finally pays off. <img src='style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/cheers.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='cheers.gif' />

03-09-2008, 09:40 PM

Special force to tackle naxal menace in Maharashtra -PTI Report

Mumbai, Mar 9 (PTI) In a bid to tackle the naxal menace in Maharashtra, the state police is coming up with a multi-pronged initiative including setting up of a special force.

"Maharashtra is coming out with a new initiative, including forming a special force...Already we have men doing the job but we are looking at an umbrella kind of a set up," newly appointed Director General of Police A N Roy told PTI here.

The details about the special force are being worked out and it will work alongside the Anti Naxals Operations (ANO) which is functioning right now, Roy said, adding, "I cannot give out its name as of now."

"Naxalism is one of my priority areas and and we want to take some major initiatives in controlling the naxalites. It (the force) may include some specially trained people," Roy, who has just returned from a tour of naxal-infested areas said.

The ANO is not a specialised force, it is just an unit and will be a part of the new force, he said.

"Give me few days to finalise the plan, I am speaking to my officers and several steps are in the offing."

Though Maharashtra has witnessed stray incidents involving naxalites since 1981, it has done well to confine the activity to small parts in the forests of Gadchiroli, Gondia and Chandrapur districts of Vidarbha bordering Andhra Pradesh and Chhattisgarh.

03-11-2008, 09:54 PM

cpmindia.blogspot has some gruesome pictures which I won't link to here. But the atrocities committed by the CPM with state sponsorship not only a blot on democracy but humanity itself.

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One more killed in Kerala political clashes
Kannur (Kerala), March 6 (IANS) Political clashes claimed one more life in this northern district of Kerala, taking the death toll to four in two days of violence. Mahesh, 33, an activist of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), was hacked to death allegedly by Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M) workers Thursday evening.

Mahesh, an autorickshaw driver, was attacked at Chittaripparambu, about 30 km from district headquarters. Aneesh Kumar, also a BJP activist, was also attacked in another incident at Kaitheri in the district.Three people were killed in clashes in Thalassery town following an attack on a Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) leader.

The district has been a hotbed of political violence between the ruling Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M) and the BJP-RSS combine.Kannur district and the nearby Mahe, a region of union territory of Puducherry, observed a dawn-to-dusk general shutdown Thursday following a call given by the BJP-RSS and the CPI-M.

Communist Killing Squads roaming freely in Kannur
06/03/2008 13:15:08

Political terror reigned supreme in Kannur on Thursday for the second consecutive day with the murder of one more RSS worker Mahesh even as the people of the district, especially in Thalassery and Koothuparamba, spent a day in panic and anxiety amidst a total hartal called by the BJP-RSS and the CPI(M) after the three murders on Wednesday.

RSS activist Mahesh was hacked to death on Thursday at Chittaniparamba in Koothuparamba, the Assembly constituency represented by CPI(M)'s P Jayarajan, who is also the general manager of party organ Desabhimani. Another RSS activist Aneesh was admitted to the Indira Gandhi Hospital, Thalassery with serious hack injuries.

The killing and the attacks were allegedly carried out on the RSS workers by specially trained squad operated by the CPI(M). Reports said that such political terror troops were roaming the streets in various parts of the district.

It was alleged that such incidents indicated the silent support of the CPI(M)-led LDF Government to attack-teams with particular blessings from Home Minister Kodiyeri Balakrishnan, who was known for his association with violence in Kannur. The Minister had proudly announced in Thiruvananthapuram that four companies of police led by Additional Director General of Police (ADGP) Jang Pangi were taking care of the security aspects in the area. Thursday's events proved the hollowness of this claim following the gruesomely violent attacks on the two RSS workers and other incidents of violence staged by CPI(M) men using the hartal as a screen. Houses of several RSS and BJP workers and leaders also had come under attacks by CPI(M) troops in Thalassewry and other areas on Thursday.

People in Thalassery and adjoining areas were confined to their houses on Thursday following the dawn-to-dusk hartal call of the CPI(M) and the BJP following the violent incidents in the area. While the BJP and the RSS had called for a hartal in the district following the killing of two of its workers and the gruesome attack on RSS leader MP Sumesh, the CPI(M) had called for a hartal in Thalassery Assembly constituency and Mahe and Pinarayi panchayats.

The hartal call had evoked a total response from the people of the area with no one venturing out of their houses and vehicles were also not seen on the roads. A group of CPI(M) workers attacked the residence of RSS activist Prakasan in Sankaramangalam in Kuthuparamba Assembly constituency. The police had to fire in the air to disperse crowds which were intent on creating problems.

The sounds of bomb explosions were heard throughout Thalassery area and the presence of huge contingent of police failed to deter the party troops from moving around and carrying out bomb attacks on political adversaries. People of Thalassery and Kuthuparamba were shell-shocked after Wednesday's violence and the presence of police had failed to restore people's confidence.

Thalassery has witnessed bloody political killings whenever the CPI(M) has assumed power in the past and according to observers, the cowardice of the party could well be gauged from the fact that once the UDF assumed power Kannur would turn peaceful as the police would act neutrally. With a person like Kodiyeri Balakrishnan remaining at the helm of Home Affairs in the State, the people would never have hopes of peace, observers say.

During the previous Nayanar regime, it was P Sasi, the present CPI(M) district secretary, who was said to be controlling the police as special secretary to then Chief Minister, who was holding Home portfolio as well. The police had then acted in a biased manner and there were several instances in which the residences of the RSS workers had been attacked by police officers like Thalassery DySP Koyilandi Balakrishnan.

BJP parliamentary team to visit Kannur

The CPI(M) terror violence in Kannur is becoming a national issue now as BJP center leaders strongly condemned the CPI(M)'s violence in Kannur and asked Central Government to send Central Forces to Kannur immediately. A team of BJP parliamentary board would visit Kannur very soon.

CPM rule contributes to violence in Kannur

07/03/2008 14:35:35 Pioneer News Service | Kannur

Home Minister Kodiyeri Balakrishnan, CPI(M) MLA from Thalassery, which has been in the whirlpool of political terror for almost the past three decades, said the other day that all steps had been taken to restore peace in the area that saw brutal murders of six young men in two days. But people of Kannur district, who have witnessed such gruesome acts of violence for quite long and such statements from Ministers, are not ready to believe him. In a sense, they don't believe anybody when it comes to claims on restoration of peace.

Kuttappan (name not real) of Vadiyil Peedika, who has been driving buses and cars for the past 30 years in Thalassery area, is convinced that the opposing camps in the killing fields of Kannur will never realise the meaning of peace. "I have seen how they plan to kill people. I have seen how brutally they kill people. They don't look at the faces of the young men they kill. The killer and the killed are in most cases neighbours or even relatives," says Kuttappan.

Not all in Kannur think like Kuttappan. Ramesh (name not real) from the same place says he would blame the CPI(M) more than the RSS-BJP combine for the political history of murders of Kannur. "I have watched that Kannur, especially Thalassery and Koothuparambu, turn red with blood whenever the LDF headed by the CPI(M) comes to power. There is a clear link between power and violence in Kannur," he says.

"This has nothing to do with communism, class war or the so-called anti-communal sentiment. The basic cause of the recurring violence in Kannur is plain terror with which the CPI(M) wants to keep the area under its control. This rule-by-violence practice is in force there always, but it finds actual manifestation when the CPI(M) comes to power," Ramesh says.

Unbiased people of Kannur say that this could be the only place in the world where violence is not based on a cause. "There is no need for a reason for any murder or violence here. You will think violence erupts all by itself, and in almost all cases this is true also," said Mani from East Palayad.

Mani, who is a former DYFI activist, said the CPI(M) here, controlled by people like State secretary Pinarayi Vijayan, district secretary P Sasi, Koothuparambu MLA P Jayarajan, central committee member EP Jayarajan, etc, "all known for their affinity to violence", was finding its strength through violence.

"Every communist knows the meaning of liberated villages. But the concept has a different meaning in Kannur. Here, it means a village where the communists make bombs, conspire to attack adversaries and train for violence," said Mani.

People like Mani and Kuttappan say that there is no surprise if the BJP-RSS is gaining strength in this area. "The social repression practiced by the CPI(M) is so intense that anybody who does not like it will have to identify with some other force. Here it is mainly the BJP or RSS," Mani adds.

The general opinion is that whenever the CPI(M) comes to power, there will be hasty reshuffles in the police force here. The aim of this is to place trusted officers and personnel in Kannur. "Once this is done, it is easy for the comrades to take over the district," Ramesh says.

That the violent incidents are results of spontaneous reactions is absurd, people of Thalassery say. "My children are not into any political party," says Syamala, a mother of three, whose elder son is a computer professional in Tirur, Malappuram. "But I know at least half a dozen mothers who have lost their sons in violence in this Koothuparamba area alone. They were not killed in attacks by irate mobs. They were all killed in meticulously planned attacks. And in all the cases, the murders were committed by specially trained groups. But when the police come to arrest people, there will always be some "willing comrades" to go with them," said Syamala.

Leaders of other parties like the Congress and the Muslim League have been demanding strict action against such political terror gangs, "but the CPI(M) has succeeded in avoiding such crack-downs," says the mother

Thousands take out march to protest CPI(M) terror in Kannur

Thousands of RSS & BJP activists today took out a protest march to the Raj Bhavan against the killings of four Swayamsevaks by CPI(M) criminals in Thalassery in the last three days. Hindu organization leaders sought the Governor's immediate intervention in restoring peace in the district.

In a memorandum submitted to Governor R L Bhatia, RSS-BJP leaders stated that there was a conspiracy between the CPI(M)-led government and the police in protecting the culprits.

RSS Prantiya Saha Karyavahak N Shankar Ram and BJP state Secretary M T Ramesh led the protesters to Raj Bhavan.

They sought the intervention of the Governor in maintaining peace in Kannur district. The CBI should be asked to probe the role of senior CPI(M) leaders who had organised the crimes with the help of the police," the memorandum said.

The BJP will react strongly if the CPI(M) continued to stir violence in the area, it said.

CPI(M) terror : 30 houses destroyed, Hundreds of properties damaged

According to reports, more than thirty houses of RSS/BJP activists have been destroyed by CPI(M) criminals in Kannur district so far. Hundreds of properties including Schools, various Seva centers, Janmabhumi office etc. were destroyed. The terror attack is still going on across Kannur district.

Barely 48 hours since the Mahashivarathri celebrations, CPM has launched a killing spree, again against Sangh parivar workers. An unholy CPM-Police-hired killers nexus has pushed Thalasserry Taluk into a blood bath. Four Sangh workers have been killed in Taliban style within a tiny taluk called Thalasserry in Kannur district, that too within 48 hours, that is 5th March afternoon to 7th morning. Twelve Sangh workers are seriously injured and housed in intensive care unit.

The attacks are carried out by professional and well-trained assassins. It is clear from the modus operandi they resort too. Bodies of all the victims were seen beheaded. Serious cuts on hands and legs are common. The killers are imported from nearby taluks. They come in large numbers of 100 to 125 and attack the Sangh workers and their houses in the area. They do not even spare domestic animals. The valiant Sangh workers faced it with a smile, in an unparalleled determination. Because, they do not fight for their bread and butter, but the noble ideology which run in their blood, which they carry in light or dark, starve or food, thirst or drink.

Marxist Terror - Bomb attack on DYSP

CPM Criminals attacked DYSP Shoukath Ali , one of the rare officer known for his impartiality.

Yesterday when Shaukat Ali was preparing to raid CPM offices at Koothuparambu following the beheading of Swayamsevak Mahesh, He was called back to Thalassery at the last moment by ADGP Jang Pangi-A Marxist stooge for 'urgent discussions'.

Even though Shaukat Ali asked for permission to go ahead with the raids, it was denied. In another incident DYSP Shaukat Ali armed with an automatic weapon was about to enter the CPM Thaluk office at Thalasserry with a large police contingent was stopped at the behest of SP Sreejith and this was followed by a public altercation between the two. Shaukat Ali has been since transferred to Panur. And today he was attacked by the CPM Killing squad.

Kannur violence : RSS asked to remove ADGP

RSS state leadership has sought immediate intervention of Kerala governor to stop CPI(M) terror in Kannur. RSS has also demanded CBI enquiry in to the whole incidents and immediate removal of AGDP Jang Pangi due to his impartial behavior by ordering to target only Sangh Parivar activists and denial of action against CPI(M) criminals.

State Sponsored Terrorism in Kannur

Kannur: State sponsored Communist Terrorism is reigning the districts for last two days , leaving Three Swayamsevaks dead and Nine severely injured. Police were reduced to mere spectators when the criminals unleashed violence

Tributes paid

Hundreds of Nationalistic Hindus turned up to pay tributes to Nikhil and Santhosh. Their Bodies were cremated in their home. RSS and BJPState and District leaders attended.

Sought Governor's intervention

RSS leadership send fax message to Kerala Governor explaining the Government sponsored onesided terror happening in Kannur and requested urgent intervention. Law and order is completely derailed as the Home Minister's stand is completely biased and partial.

Thalassery-Leaders targetted

Bombs were hurled at BJP Mandalam president and Janmabhumi Thalassery Correspondent M.P. Gopalakrishnan's house on Thursday night. Bombs were hurled at the houses of BJP councillor N.Haridas and BJP Thalassery unit General secretary Poil Rameshan. Severe damages were reported.

Koothuparambu- Murder inspite of Police presence

Swayamsevak Mahesh was killed and Aneesh was severely wounded in Koothuparamba. The attacks were happened while there is a heavy contingent of Police in the area.Scores of Houses belonging to BJP sympathisers were torched. Bombs were hurled, House of BJP leader A.Rajan was destroyed and the family members were threatened

Marxist thugs destroyed the House of swayamsevak Sathyesh and family members were threatened. Houses of swayamsevaks Ramakrishnan , Govindan and Vinod were attacked with bombs. BJP sympathisers Raghavan, Jayan, Damu, Mohanan, Viswanathan, Manoj, Padmini, Sajeevan and Nidheesh were threatened and their houses attacked. House hold articles and appliances were dumped in the well.

03-12-2008, 05:39 PM

Naxal terrorists have Rs 60 crore budget for procurement of weapons

Mar 12, 2008

New Delhi, Mar 12 (PTI) Naxal terrorists are reported to have a budget of Rs 60 crore for procurement of weapons and explosives during 2007-09, Rajya Sabha was informed today. Giving the information in a written reply, Minister of State for Home Sriprakash Jaiswal said an arrested extremist had stated this during interrogation by Jharkhand Police.

He said no other details in this regard are available. In reply to another question, he said as per information available, Maoists have sophisticated weapons and communication systems.

The extremists primarily get a substantial bulk of their weapons by looting and they also get them from illicit weapon manufacturing units, Jaiswal said.

Responding to another query, he said Chhattisgarh Police has reported that 42 pairs of pants and shirts and 40 metres of cloth meant for naxalites were recovered in Bilaspur from a tailoring shop run by the wife of a Railway employee at her husband's railway quarter.

He said the case is under investigation. The total number of naxalite incidents has increased from 1,509 in 2006 to 1,565 in 2007, he said.

There has, however, been a dip in the statistic since 2005, with 1,608 such incidents reported in that year. The number of causalities of security forces has gone up from 157 in 2006 to 236 in 2007, while in the same period, the number of civilian casualties decreased from 521 to 460.

03-18-2008, 09:01 PM

12 Maoists eliminated in Andhra Pradesh
18 Mar 2008, 1338 hrs IST,PTI

HYDERABAD: Twelve Maoists were eliminated in an encounter with police in the thick forest area of Khammam district in Andhra Pradesh on Tuesday.

The exchange of fire took place when the special police party of Greyhounds, an anti-Naxal elite force, was on a combing operation between Cherla and Pamedu police stations limits in the forest, according to preliminary reports reaching the police headquarters in Hyderabad.

The eliminated Naxals are yet to be identified and it is suspected that two of them were top Maoists leaders, police sources said.

So far 10 bodies have been recovered and two AK-47 and four SLR have been found from the spot, they added.

03-19-2008, 05:39 PM

From Pioneer

QUOTEStates pool forces to fight Maoists

In a sign of stiffening resistance to Maoist terror, State Governments have at last agreed to pool their resources and launch a joint war on far-Left extremism.

The first such joint assault has fetched good results - in two operations, a thousand police commandos of Chhattisgarh, Maharashtra and Andhra Pradesh stormed the Maoist stronghold of Bastar in Chhattisgarh and are believed to have eliminated many of the Mao-spouting killers.

In the first of these, police from Chhattisgarh and Maharashtra combined to target Maoists in the Abujhmad forests, while in the second, operations were carried out in the forests of south Bastar by Andhra Pradesh's anti-Maoist force, known as the Greyhounds, and Chhattisgarh police commandos. It is heartening that both operations have been successful.

The Abujhmad forests have for long been a Maoist stronghold where policemen could not enter; they were declared a 'liberated zone' by the Maoists. Other than the success of these operations, what is of importance is that the police forces of different States were able to join hands in combined operations to flush out the Maoists.

Far too often have the Maoists used State boundaries to their advantage as they cunningly launched their depredations in one State and then took refuge in another.

In such situations, given the absence of inter-State co-ordination, the police of the affected State would be left flatfooted, allowing the Maoists to get away. These predatory insurgents had so far shown far more ability in ensuring the cooperation of their various groups in the several States in which they have established their presence. There has long been a demand for special police task forces that would bring together the police of different regions to combat Maoists.

After these developments Maoists and their lovers should be busy packing their bags and eating their revolutionary garbage.

03-19-2008, 09:17 PM

QUOTEPatil asks states to fill up police vacancies

Wed, Mar 19 08:08 PM

New Delhi, March 19, 2008

Home Minister Shivraj Patil Wednesday asked states to fill up police vacancies to take on Maoists and terrorists while describing as exaggerated figures about the spread of Maoist insurgency in India.

Replying to a question in the Rajya Sabha, Patil asked state governments to strengthen the police and security forces, filling up the existing vacancies in the forces.

'There are states with 25-30 percent vacancies in their police forces,' he said.

'Some people feel that the police is a non-productive force. But I say security is important for improving productivity.'

At the same time, the minister dismissed as inflated the much-publicised figures about the spread of Maoism in the country.

'We have heard here several times that 10 states and 180 districts are affected by Naxalism. This would bring the figure to 33 percent of the country being affected.'

'But when I asked how many police stations (are affected), they said 300 police stations, which makes it nearly three percent. And when we look at the villages, it is only 14,000 villages, which works out to less than one percent.'

But the minister admitted that the spread of Maoists in the country was a serious issue.

'But that does not mean we will be cowed down by gun toting terrorists. I appeal to you (that) we will further strengthen them if we try to exaggerate their impact and influence.'

Patil said that Chhattisgarh was the most seriously affected state because of Maoist insurgency.

'We have given 15,000 officers to the state, any number of armoured cars and many helicopters to tackle the issue.'

He conceded that the issue can be tackled effectively only with people's cooperation.

'Without obtaining the cooperation of the people in the villages and the city mohallas, it will not be easy to curb terrorism. It will not be impossible but the cost will be very high. Some states have started enlisting the cooperation of the village and mohalla committees.'

03-19-2008, 09:24 PM

QUOTEPeople's govt nowhere in sight, tribals desert Naxals <img src='style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/cheers.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='cheers.gif' />
Vivek Deshpande
Wednesday, March 19, 2008

Gadchiroli witnessing undercurrent of tribal alienation from Naxalism

GADCHIROLI, MARCH 18: âThey had said they would bring a government of the poor. After so many years, we are wondering where is that government? We got nothing but a hard, insecure life as wanderers. Thatâs why we decided to bid farewell to Naxalism.â

Thatâs the common refrain from all the 43 Naxalites from six villages in Tadgaon area of Gadchiroli who had surrendered on Saturday. And thatâs what the 55 Naxalites from 11 villages in Etapalli tahsil, who had surrendered on January 12, had to say too. With two big chunks from their ranks surrendering, for Naxalites it could mean massive tribal alienation from their ideals .

The Naxalites are now angry â in less than a week they have killed three tribals to send the message. While 20-year-old Rainu Dhurva from Dhobur village was killed on March 9 under the suspicion of leaking information to the police about their Debur forest location, two youths were murdered on March 16. [Naxals your propoganda claims that you help tribals but you are killings tribals. Are these your true ideals naxals? Where are naxals lovers who praise these murderers? Shame on them].

Thereâs a hectic bid by Naxalite to form Janatana Sarkar (peopleâs government) in the two of their strongholds in the district. Much before the people gave vent to their feelings, the Naxalites had gauged the sentiment and, as the surrendered cadres say, had asked them to form committees and start development work by pooling in resources.

Tired of moving in the forest as nomads, with the encounter sword hanging on their heads, they say they are disillusioned about the ârevolutionâ dreams.

âI moved 15 years with dalams and even became a commander. But all this while I didnât see the peopleâs government turning into a reality. On the contrary, the tribals have to bear the cost of sustaining the Naxalites in the jungles by providing food and armed support,â says Sukhlal Atla, Chatgaon Dalam commander who surrendered on Saturday along with wife Renuka Kodape, deputy commander of Potegaon Dalam.

Rainu Pungatiâs travails as a forced Naxalite strongly underscore the sentiment. âI never wanted to become a Naxalite. I wanted to lead a normal life. So, I availed a government tribal fund scheme to get Rs 10,000 to start a paan kiosk in Bhamragarh.

But Naxalite leaders Dinesh and Tarakka came to my Tirkameta village and forced to sell it off for Rs 2,000. Later, when I accepted the teacherâs job at Ekal Vidyalaya, they asked me why despite being a Madia tribal, I was playing into the hands of Hindus (Ekal Vidyalayas are run by RSS front Vanvasi Kalyan Ashram). They forced all Ekal Vidyalayas in the villages to shut,â he says. [Naxals are scared of schools. <!--emo& Big Grin

--><img src='style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/biggrin.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='biggrin.gif' />]

âOn one side I had to placate the Naxalites, while on the other, I had to face police action. The Naxalites lend us no support when police slap cases against us. All I earn goes in court cases I face as a Naxalite,â he adds.

All along, however, Rainu had to work for the party (CPI-Maoist). And in July last, he was sent to a dalam and asked to organise meetings and food for them. He had no time to look after his wife Sukhri, three daughters and two sons. Finally, being the most educated (up to Class IX), he was made secretary of the Janatana Sarkar.

âThey did some good work initially by getting the people better tendu-picking and bamboo-cutting rates, but nothing happened after that. We want roads, water, electricity,â says Atla, who had participated in 26 anti-police operations.

Atla said he got no treatment for months after being badly injured. âI was really tired of it all,â he says.

Atla and Renuka laid down arms before the police in Pospundi along with Debu Atram. The two were brought to the Tadgaon police station and were instrumental in getting all others from the Janatana Sarkar to surrender from the six villages. Debu, however, died on March 9 while he was put in the police station premises for security reasons.

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