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Nepalese Maoists networking with Indian counterparts: Official |
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Maoists in Nepal are networking with their Indian counterparts, a senior federal official admitted last week. “We are vigilant and have ensured that Maoists from Nepal do not gain a foothold in India,” Union Home Secretary Kamal Pande said during a visit to Bihar.
Pande was in Patna for a meeting of the Coordination Committee set up to contain the activities of the Maoists in India. A special armed force had been deployed along the 1,800- km-long India-Nepal border to increase vigilance on the frontier.
Maoist rebels in Nepal have been engaged in a bloody seven-year insurgency to topple the constitutional monarchy and replace it with a republic. At least 3,000 people have died in the insurrection.
Nepalese Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba, during his visit to New Delhi last month, sought India’s assistance in controlling the menace.
Pande said the Chief Ministers of nine Indian states affected by Maoist violence are to meet soon to devise a joint strategy to contain the threat.
“The Chief Ministers will meet to send a message that they were united in their fight against leftwing extremism and can tackle their violent activities.”
No date has been set for the meeting that will bring together the Chief Ministers of Andhra Pradesh, Bihar, Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Orissa, Uttar Pradesh and West Bengal.
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