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Naxal depredations continue in Chhattisgarh |
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There is no end to Maoist terror strikes in Chhattisgarh. On Monday, July 9, 25 police personnel including 16 CRPF men and six special police officers were killed in an ambush by Maoists near Regadagatta village in Dantewada district. A CRPF Asstt. Commandant was among those killed. Several weapons including five AK 47s, a light machine gun and a two inch mortar with ammunition were taken away by the Maoists. Police claimed that six Naxalites were killed in the gunfight, but their bodies were not found.
Police say that the Maoist attack was very sudden and the security forces could not mount a strong defence. There are reports that the Naxalites lured security men into a trap by lodging a robbery complaint. Observers say the entire incident exposes how the intelligence agencies not only failed to keep track of the Maoists hideouts, but also prove to be novices in term of their operational preparedness.
Reports say that the Maoists are virtually enforcing their writ in the remote countryside. They killed two farmers in Bijapur district on July 8 for defying the Naxalite diktat against cultivation of their farmland.
In another incident, Maoists blasted an electricity sub-statin, a Doordarshan power transmitter and a guest house in a tribal area of Vizag, in Andhra Pradesh, on July 11. The house of a former Congress MLA was also damaged in the Maoist attack.
Chhattisgarh police claimed that they have succeeded in nabbing three hardcore Naxalites believed to be involved in several extremist attacks.
Chhattisgarh not doing enough : Centre
Union Minister of State for Home Sri Prakash Jaiswal has said that efforts to check Naxal groups were lacking in Chhattis¬garh. Addressing a news conference in Lucknow on July 13, he said the BJP-led government in Chhattisgarh was not getting its police personnel trained adequately to tackle the menace. He said it is a matter of concern that many CRPF personnel and some policemen were killed in the recent Naxal attack in the State.
Jaiswal said that Chhattisgarh should take a cue from Andhra Pradesh where the problem has been contained to a large extent. The Andhra Pradesh Government has launched a massive development initiative in the Naxal affected areas and it served as an antid¬ote to the problem. He also lauded the steps taken by the Left Front government in West Bengal to tackle the menace.
The BJP has demanded that the Centre call a conference, ahead of the Monsoon session of Parliament, of the Chief Min¬isters and Home Ministers of the States affected by the Naxal problem. Party spokesman Prakash Javdekar said in New Delhi on July 14 that the meeting should work out a unified and integrated policy with the concurrence of the affected states. He described as unfortunate Jaiswal’s remarks critical of the Chhattisgarh government’s handling of Naxal violence.
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