Naxals/Maoists Watch

[RAM]

some Good news...


A Naxal hot-bed slowlyturns development model in Jharkhand

RANCHI: If you drive down the picturesque 40-km stretch between Ranchi and Patratu, be prepared for a number of diversions. Work on a four-lane portion of the road is on to facilitate movement of heavy vehicles. A first-timer from a metro wouldn't perhaps be able to make much of it, but for locals it's a great change, a harbinger of hope.

Flanked by low hills and covered with forests of sal, sakhuwa and bamboo on both sides, the road leads towards Patratu, a town nestling inside a natural green valley where Jindal Steel & Power Limited (JSPL) has commissioned a wire rod mill last month, inside the premises of the now-defunct Bihar Alloy Steels Limited (BASL).

It is the first new industrial unit to come up in Jharkhand since the state came into being in 2000. Inside the premises, there's a fresh coat of white paint on the walls of the buildings, main office, guesthouse and employees' housing colony.

That whiteness is symbolic of the gradual erasing of the Red Terror. The 40-km stretch has been known as the 'risky zone' in recent times. An area nobody dared to tread after after 6 pm, due to Maoists. But with the JSPL plant commencing production, traffic towards Patratu has gone up significantly . The fear factor is ebbing and things are beginning to return to normal.

JSPL is setting up an integrated steel plant of six million tonne per annum (mtpa) and a 1,000 mw captive power plant at Balkudra in Patratu at an investment of Rs 15,000 crore. The first unit, a 0.6 mtpa wire rod mill, became operational in April. In the first phase, a 3 mtpa steel plant is due to be commissioned by June 2012. Interestingly, the company is also setting up another steel plant of 5 mtpa at Asanboni, near Jamshedpur.

The region has the presence of players like Tata Steel, Heavy Engineering Corporation (HEC) and Steel Authority of India Limited (SAIL), but their units were set up long time ago. Since 2000, 71 companies including ArcelorMittal, Tata Steel and Essar Steel have signed MoUs with the state government for investments worth Rs 3,00,000 crore in the steel sector. But nothing much has happened largely due to land hurdles, procedural delays, government uncertainties and the Maoist menace. Only 15 small sponge iron plants have come up at an aggregate investment of Rs 2,275 crore.

JSPL's entry into Patratu has therefore , changed the landscape and generated hopes in this little sleepy town, which only has an ailing Patratu Thermal Power Station (PTPS) and a small field office of Central Coalfields Limited.

"We face more expectations than we can perhaps meet," N A Ansari, executive director JSPL said, sitting inside the JSPL plant's main office. Slowly over the next hour and half, Mr Ansari who had a 40-year stint with Tata Steel before joining JSPL, shared some insights from JSPL's experience with ET.

"When we came here, we realised that the genesis of the problem lay in the economic situation. Recruitment drives by Naxals merely bear testimony to it. This land is mineral-rich but without processing, it cannot generate wealth. For people connected to this land, agriculture cannot be the main source of income. Industry is the only way out. And, people now have started believing in this too," Mr Ansari said.

What came as a masterstoke was JSPL's decision to take over the closed UMI Special Steel Limited, formerly known as BASL, in 2006. When it came up for auction, JSPL successfully bid for BASL with a Rs 108 crore offer. Spread over 545 acres, the BASL unit at Balkudra had 500 staff quarters and a 132 KV power connection from the Damodar Valley Corporation (DVC).

http://economictimes.indiatimes.com...nt-model-in-Jharkhand/articleshow/6026323.cms




http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/politics/nation/A-Naxal-hot-bed-slowly-turns-development-model-in-Jharkhand/articleshow/6026323.cms#

 

[Prince]

Too stretched to fight against Naxals: Army

New Delhi: While the Cabinet is yet to decide on the role of armed forces in anti-Naxal operations, the Army has conveyed that it is too stretched to spare additional troops for any enlarged operational role.

The Army is believed to have also pointed out that its troops cannot be deployed for active operation without adequate legal protection through the implementation of the Armed Forces Special Powers Act and related instruments.

An earlier idea to shift some Rashtriya Rifles battalions to these areas was, however, rejected by the Army on the grounds of insufficient troops. Instead, it proposed raising fresh RR battalions.

On the issue of aerial attacks also, the Army is non-committal on using Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAV). It has also turned down the request for Air Force helicopters to ferry troops and other help.

The Defence Ministry says this would amount to the Air Force getting directly involved. A key concern is what if the Maoists fired at the aircraft? The Air Force would be forced to fire back, which is not acceptable.

Though the Army stand is backed by the Defence Ministry, it can however be overruled if a political call is made to use the military in this fight.

The decision in this regard will be taken today in Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS) meeting.

The meeting, to be chaired by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, is expected to debate the pros and cons of using the Army and Air Force in the fight against the Maoists, official sources said.

At the meeting, Home Minister P Chidambaram is expected to make a presentation on the situation arising out of surge in Naxal attacks and suggest ways in which the menace could be dealt with effectively, the sources said.

There have been demands for involving armed forces in the fight against Naxals but the government is cautiously weighing all options before taking any decision on thishttp://www.zeenews.com/news632994.html

 

[IBRIS]

Govt divided over using Army to curb Naxals

New Delhi: The Cabinet Committee on Security will discuss measures to combat Naxals on Thursday even as the Defence Ministry and the Home Ministry have divergent views on how to neutralise the rebels. Home Minister P Chidambaram wants Army deployed in Naxal strongholds, but the Defence Ministry has objected to the use of defence forces.

The Defence Ministry says the Army and Air Force are not keen on being called in to tackle the Naxals and has submitted a document combining inputs from the two wings of the defence forces.

Air Force says it can't spare anymore helicopters for anti-Naxal operations but is willing to release some of its Unmanned Aerial Vehicles to help in anti-Naxals operations. Even the Army is reluctant to join the anti-Naxal operations saying it cannot disturb regular troops from Kashmir and Northeast.

Moreover, the Army is not willing to use regular troops for de-mining operations in Naxal strongholds.

The Army though says it is willing to help train new Rastriya Rifle battalions specifically for combating Naxals.

The ministries of Defence and the Home are also at loggerheads over who will head the unified command of anti-Naxal operations. While the Home Ministry wants the Chief Secretary in command, the Defence Ministry says it must be the Chief Minister of the state where the operations take place.

Chidambaram's new anti-Naxal battle plan includes calling in the Army to take on the rebels in the dense forests of Dantewada in Chhattisgarh. The Home Ministry also wants Dantewada declared a disturbed area and Armed Forces Special Powers Act imposed after which the Army would move in Dantewada. It also plans to use Army Sappers for de-mining operations along with Rashtriya Rifles and Para Battalions for surgical strikes.

 

[Pintu]

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/...s-in-Maoist-hit-areas/articleshow/6039159.cms

Chhattisgarh wants residential schools in Maoist-hit areas
Akshaya Mukul, TNN, Jun 12, 2010, 01.42am IST

NEW DELHI: To deal with Maoist violence affecting schools in Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand and other places, HRD ministry has proposed setting up of schools under SSA with residential facilities for students and teachers. This is part of HRD's Expenditure Finance Committee note for the Cabinet. HRD officials appraised the education minister of Chhattisgarh about the new proposal during discussions on implementation of Right to Education Act.

Faced with the problem of security forces occupying schools in Maoist areas and occasional attacks on schools by Maoists, Chhattisgarh government has proposed setting up residential schools amid large human clusters.

In a meeting with HRD minister Kapil Sibal on implementation of Right to Education Act, Chhattisgarh education minister Brijmohan Aggarwal said the state government was already building portacabin schools supported by Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan funds. Sources said that in areas of civil strife, houses with RCC roofs got occupied by security forces.

Orissa, also faced with Maoist problem, demanded special funding for eight KBK districts. Five out of these eight are affected by Maoist violence. However, schools in Orissa do not face threats like in Chhattisgarh. With RTE's emphasis on teacher education, Chhattisgarh, Orissa and Andhra Pradesh have been told to concentrate on recruiting trained teachers, deploy them judiciously and train the existing workforce.

 

[Pintu]

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/...Committee-on-Security/articleshow/6039097.cms

Army will not fight Naxals, says Cabinet Committee on Security
Vishwa Mohan, TNN, Jun 12, 2010, 01.13am IST

NEW DELHI: The Army will not be used in a "combat role" in the ongoing anti-Naxal battle. The Centre and states will, instead, recruit ex-servicemen — including retired sappers for de-mining exercises — on contractual basis to fill the gap and will focus on strengthening paramilitary and police personnel through intensive training and recruitment programmes. Role of armed forces will only be limited to "training".

The Cabinet Committee on Security, which met under Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Thursday, took these decisions. It expected states to lead the charge against Maoists with the Centre mainly helping them with additional "security assistance" in terms of paramilitary personnel and "more funds" for modernisation of police forces and pursuing "development programmes". The committee, which analysed the proposals and counter-proposals of both the home and defence ministries before arriving at the decisions, also decided to meet again soon to give final shape to the strategy.

"CCS will also invite chief ministers of Naxal-affected states. Their views will help the Centre in finetuning the strategy," a top government official said.

Although the CCS meeting remained inconclusive in terms of giving final shape to the strategy and earmarking additional funds, it addressed major concerns of both defence and home ministries on major issues. "Since it was decided not to expand the role of armed forces at all beyond training, the focus was mainly on looking at alternatives to address the need of home ministry as well as states," the official said.

As the armed forces do not want to be dragged into yet another internal security duty beyond their existing roles in J&K and N-E states, the CCS allowed home ministry to fill the gap by recruiting ex-servicemen in a big way.

"While a couple of states are already doing this, remaining ones will also be asked to recruit retired armed force personnel for de-mining exercises and other security duties on minimum three years contract," the official said. The committee decided that the Centre would provide adequate funds to states for this purpose as well as for recruiting regular police personnel and increasing number of police stations in Naxal-hit districts.

Since the defence ministry argued that IAF could not spare a more helicopters to ferry troops, the CCS explored the option of hiring choppers from Pawan Hans for emergency duties including evacuation of injured personnel.

 

[IBRIS]

Dantewada Police Superintendent, 15 others transferred

Raipur, (PTI) : Chhattishgarh government on Friday transferred the Dantewanda district Police Superintendent and 15 other officials in the wake of massacre of CRPF personnel by the Naxalites. Acting on the recommendation from the Rammohan Committee formed after the killing of police personnel in Dantewada district, the BJP government transferred Police Superintendent Ambrish Mishra, 11 IPS officers and four state-level policemen, official sources said.

On April 6, Naxalites had killed 75 CRPF personnel and a police officer also succumbed in the massacre. The Committee appointed by the Union Home ministry headed by Rammohan, former DGP of Border Security Force, had fixed the responsibility for the lapse on these police officials, officials said. The state government was hesitating to take action against the police officials, but had to act at the instance of the Central Government, sources said.

 

[Prince]

Three suspected Naxalites arrested in Bihar

Banka (Bihar), Jun 12 (PTI) Three suspected Naxalites were today arrested by security forces along with ammunition in the district here today.

Jai Paswan, Ravi Paswan and Kailash Murmu were apprehended by the CRPF and later handed over to local police, a senior CRPF official said.

They also recovered nearly 600 bullets from the trio.

The operation was carried out near Pirma jungle in the district by the 131 Battalion of the CRPF.

Police is interrogating the three for possible Naxal links and the supply links of ammunition recovered from them, the official addedhttp://www.ptinews.com/news/711628_Three-suspected-Naxalites-arrested-in-Bihar

 

[nandu]

Major Maoist action averted in Andhra Pradesh

Security forces conducting combing operations, on the lookout for Maoists. An assassination bid was foiled by Andhra Pradesh Police.

The weapons and uniforms seized indicated that the Maoists plotted a major assassination in Hyderabad or possibly in one of the Telangana districts, a senior officer said. The Maoists had hatched the conspiracy in an attempt to counter the series of losses they have suffered suffered at the hands of the Andhra Pradesh police.

Andhra Pradesh police have thwarted a Maoist plan to carry out a major attack either against a politician or a top police officer, when they raided a den in Shapur village near Gulbarga of Karnataka on Sunday and seized police uniforms, an AK-47 asssault rifle and another automatic weapon, meant for use by a Maoist action team.

Police said the raid followed the arrest of Chandrasekhar Gorebale, a member of the Karnataka State Committee of the CPI Maoist at Aija village of Mahabubnagar district in Andhra Pradesh in the early hours of Sunday.

Gorebale is believed to have been guarding the den which was to be used by an action team detailed to carry out the attack on a politician or a police officer either in Hyderabad or in Telangana districts.

Sources said the weapons and the police uniforms were supplied to Gorebale between February and April and were to be picked by the team constituted by the Maoist central committee to carry out an assassination in Hyderabad.

The weapons, an AK-47 loaded with 20 rounds and three spare magazines, a carbine machine gun with 70 bullets and three magazines, and police uniforms were seized from the den. The seizure of police uniforms indicated that the Maoists plotted a major assassination in Hyderabad or possibly in one of the Telangana districts, a senior officer said.

There have been two instances of Maoist cadres wearing police uniforms in assassinations in Andhra Pradesh. Two former legislators S. Chinna Reddy (Anantapur) and Budda Vengal Redy (Kurnool) were killed by Maoists in late 90s with similar planning.

This time, police say the Maoists had hatched the conspiracy to counter the series of losses they have been suffering in the hands of the Andhra Pradesh police.

The Maoist leader, Chandrasekhar Gorebale, who goes by alias names like Sudhakra, Tippanna and Nantappa, is stated to be a member of the Karnataka State Committee and was in charge of North Karnataka districts. He was a native of Koppal district and was an active member of the mass organizations floated by the Maoist party till 2000. A post graduate in economics from Gulbarga University, Gorebale was working as a lecturer in a junior college in Sindanoor, police sources said.

A police team arrested him at Aija village of Mahabubnagar district, when he was reportedly moving with two others who managed to flee.

Police suspect that the two who escaped could be Takkallapallai Vasudeva Rao alias Ashanna and Kanumukkula Ramesh alias Raju, known to be members of an action committee formed by the Maoist Central Committee.

The Central Committee action team functions independently without maintaining any contact with ground level revolutionary forces and is detailed to carry out assassinations as determined by the Central Committee. A number of police officers, serving as well as retired, who took active part in counter insurgency operations and politicians of different parties are on the hit list of the Maoists.

Police say Ashanna was involved in the killing of former Home Minister A. Madhava Reddy in 2000 in a landmine blast near Ghtatkesar village, about 50 kilometres from Hyderabad. He was also suspected to be involved in the failed assassination bid on the former Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu at Alipiri in 2000.

Police said Gorebale was not aware of who was to be hit by the action team, in consistency with the utmost secrecy maintained by the Maoist hit teams. He was meant to be a contact person for unknown Maoists who were to collect the weapons and the police uniforms. It was only a week ago that the Karnataka police arrested the Karnataka secretary of the Maoist party, Nanda Kumar in a raid in Shimoga district. This is the second successive blow to the Maoist movement in Karnataka in the recent times.

Gorebale, police said, was granted party membership in 1995 and had actively participated in mass organization activity till 2000 before going underground to take up the responsibilities of a full time revolutionary.

http://beta.thehindu.com/news/national/article454575.ece

 

[plugwater]

Jharkhand: 10 Maoists killed in major offensive, claim police

In a major operation by security forces in Jharkhand, at least 10 Naxals were killed in the Borhat jungle.

According to Jharkhand police, eight Naxal camps were also destroyed in Operation Green Hawk which was jointly carried out by the police, CRPF and Special Task Force. There were around 2000 security personnel involved in the operation.

At least 900 Naxals were present in the area, the police said adding that no bodies have been recovered so far.

Security forces have also recovered 35 claymore mines from the camps. Three helicopters are being used for monitoring and recee.

http://www.ndtv.com/news/india/jharkhand-10-maoists-killed-in-major-offensive-31503.php?u=0837&cp

 

[AkhandBharat]

Dozen Maoists killed in Jharkhand encounter: Cops

CHAIBASA (JHARKHAND): A dozen Maoists were possibly killed during the encounter in Jharkhand's West Singhbhum in which six security personnel were injured, a senior police officer said today.

"About a dozen Maoists were hit by the security forces and there is all possibility that they might have been killed, West Singhbhum Superintendent of Police Akhilesh Jha said.

However, no body has been recovered, Jha said. The security personnel were injured near Bandgaon in the encounter which lasted for 24 hours.

He said a camp of the Maoists was demolished during the anti-Naxal drive yesterday and 20 claymore bombs seized and destroyed.

All the injured security personnel were admitted to a hospital in Ranchi.

Self-styled Maoist area commander 'KP' and his comrades Anmol and Animesh were among the Maoists, who fired around 5000 rounds during the encounter, the SP said.

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/Dozen-Maoists-killed-in-Jharkhand-encounter-Cops/articleshow/6045655.cms

 

[IBRIS]

CBI nabs leader of Maoist-backed outfit in Jnaneswari case

CBI has arrested a leader of a Maoist-backed organisation for alleged role in derailment of Jnaneswari Express last month that left nearly 150 people dead and sought permission from court for invoking the stringent Unlawful Activities Prevention Act (UAPA) in the case.

The accused, Hiralal Mahato, was produced before a local court which remanded him to police custody for 10 days, a CBI spokesman said.

He said the CBI had also moved an application in the court for invoking section 16(committing terrorist acts) and section 18 (No suit or legal proceeding against the Government in respect of any loss or damage) of UAPA.

The spokesman said Mahato, who belonged to People's Committee Against Police Atrocities (PCPA), was arrested from a village Rasua in Midnapore district with active cooperation of the West Bengal Police.

It was a joint operation led by Inspector General of Police (Western Range) Zulfikar Hassan and his staff during which the arrest was made, the spokesman said.

As many as 148 people were killed when the Jnaneswari Express derailed on May 28.

The police had on June 4 seized a pickup van, claimed to have been used to ferry men who sabotaged the railway tracks leading to the derailment.

The van was registered in the name of Chhabi Mahato, a former CPI(M) panchayat member of Sardiya. Her husband Khagen Mahato was arrested by CID sleuths from Kharagpur town in West Midnapore district and remanded to police custody for 10 days.

According to sources, Hiralal Mahato had used the van to ferry the saboteurs to the railway tracks at around 10:00 pm on May 27, hours before the disaster.

A mobile phone from which Mahato made a number of calls that night was also seized, they said.

The saboteurs, including PCPA members Bapi Mahato, Manik Mahato and Umakanta Mahato, had held a meeting at a Shiva temple at Muramoni to firm up their plans, the sources said.
http://www.hindustantimes.com/CBI-n...train-derailment-case/H1-Article1-558177.aspx

 

[IBRIS]

=xy
Naxal hideout busted, bombs found: CRPF

First Published: 19:27 IST(15/6/2010)


Acting on a specific intelligence input, security forces have busted a suspected naxal hideout and found a cache of bombs and explosive material from a jungle area in Gaya district.

A patrol party of the CRPF raided a naxalite camp in Lohwar yesterday after receiving specific intelligence about the presence of Maoists in the area, a CRPF officer said on Tuesday.

The personnel found nine can bombs of five kilograms each, two bags containing 50 kgs of ammonium nitrate explosive, electric wires, 28 electronic detonators and a country-made pistol from the hideout, the officer said.

The seized material has been handed over to the police and a search has been launched to nab the suspects, he said.

 

[ajtr]

With Soren out, Naxals see red in Jharkhand​

Soon after the imposition of President's Rule in Jharkhand, the security forces have gone on a major offensive against the Naxals in the state.
In the past 12 days, the security forces, with the help of the state police, carried out raids at several Naxal hideouts, killing about a dozen Maoists and recovering over 300 kg of explosives (improvised explosive device) and weapons.
Sources said this was the first time the CRPF had been successful in such a major haul after the anti-Naxal operations started in Jharkhand.
According to CRPF figures, in June, the forces arrested seven Naxals in different parts of the state. They recovered five IEDs weighing 60-70 kg each and one IED weighing 25 kg in Serengtoli village in Ranchi district. The CRPF also seized 750 live ammunitions in Pahrapur village in Dhanbad district.
The operations got a major boost on Sunday after the forces reportedly killed 10 Naxals following an 18-hour gunbattle in Bandgaon in West Singhbhum district.
While the sources said the anti-Naxal operations in Jharkhand intensified in the past couple of weeks only after the forces got a clear mandate from the government, CRPF Special Director General Vijay Raman said the operations were going on as usual and had been planned much before the imposition of President's Rule.
"We are here to put the Naxals in right place. In coming days, you may see many more actions," said Raman, who is also commanding the anti-Naxal operations.
The central forces had briefly put on hold its operations in Chhattisgarh and some other Naxal-hit states after suffering a big setback in the Dantewada jungles where the Maoists massacred 75 of its men on April 6.
But after several rounds of review meetings, the central forces are said to have re-drawn strategy to carry out a fresh offensive against the Maoists.
Home Minister P. Chidambaram had also visited Ranchi last week to take stock of security forces' preparedness, the sources added.

 

[ajtr]

Appalling absence of leadership in war on Naxals​

June 15, 2010 17:05 IST

After six decades of floundering through dozens of uprisings, India's [ Images ] govt is facing the Naxal challenge as incoherently as ever, writes Ajai Shukla

French diplomat and wordsmith nonpareil Charles Maurice de Talleyrand remarked of the Bourbon dynasty -- restored to power after the Napoleonic Wars and back to their old excesses -- that "they had learned nothing and forgotten nothing". That withering observation accurately describes New Delhi [ Images ] today. After six decades of floundering through dozens of uprisings, including multiple insurgencies in the Northeast and proxy wars in Punjab [ Images ] and J&K, India's government is facing the Naxal challenge as incoherently as ever.

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh [ Images ] was wrong last month in calling the Naxal insurgency "India's greatest internal security challenge". He first used that description three years ago and, if it remains so even today, India's greatest internal security challenge is the strategic bankruptcy of its ruling elite.

The appalling absence of leadership is evident. Two months after the Dantewada debacle, the Ministry of Home Affairs (MoHA) is only now absorbing the reality that its traditional response to insurrection -- passing the buck to the Ministry of Defence (MoD) -- is not yet an option. Prompted by an overstretched military, Defence Minister A K Antony has blocked the MoHA's request for using the army's Rashtriya Rifles and elite special forces to "force the pace of offensive operations".

The accommodation then reached by the Cabinet -- using the army only for training and "demining" -- reeks of the compromise culture that shapes our answers to crucial questions of national security. Enough military steel has been sprinkled over the pot to deflect potential criticism that the Cabinet did not take firm steps, but not enough to generate criticism that the military was being sidetracked from the borders.

This step is hardly likely to rein in the Naxals, given the systemic ineffectiveness of police forces, both those of the states and the Centre. But the appearance of action was necessary; and criticism has been deferred to the next crisis.

That this will come before long is evident from the approach of Home Minister P Chidambaram [ Images ]. No Churchill in inspirational leadership, but rivalling that British wartime PM in verbal and ethical gymnastics, Chidambaram claims to have demanded a "wider mandate" for tackling Naxalism even as he sought army units for discharging the primary function of his own central police organisations: i.e. reinforcing the state police in maintaining law and order.

His ministry, meanwhile, continues to pass the buck. This week, the MoHA is inviting the chief ministers of Naxal-affected states (a term that is entering official lexicon!) to a meeting of the Cabinet Committee on Security "so that their suggestions on strengthening police and paramilitary forces can be sought".

Only Chidambaram can answer why those CMs -- who are squarely blamed for the Naxal problem via home ministry leaks -- are now being asked for suggestions. Clearly, the MoHA wishes to spread thin the blame for policing failure, riding on the fact that law and order is constitutionally a state subject. But what about the CPOs, which function directly under the MoHA and have long operated in Naxal-affected states?

Such is the MoHA's indifference to its CPOs -- some 7.5 lakh armed policemen in the Central Reserve Police Force, the Border Security Force, the Central Industrial Security Force, the Indo-Tibet Border Police and others -- that even top MoHA officials refer to them as "paramilitary forces". A paramilitary force is, by definition, led by military officers on deputation. Only the Assam Rifles, which operates in India's north-eastern states, is a paramilitary force.

This difference is not merely academic, given that the Dantewada debacle and others before it stem from professional blunders by CPO units, which could hardly have happened under military officers. The MoHA has cynically stymied multiple proposals to stiffen CPO capability by inducting soldiers who have prematurely retired after just seven years in the military. The key reason proffered by the MoHA: this would damage the promotion prospects of directly recruited policemen.

Another reason that the Home Ministry cites in rejecting the proposal to laterally induct army jawans into the CPOs is the military's institutional orientation towards overwhelming force, which would be unacceptable in dealing with Indian citizens. This logic, while cruelly ironic for the CRPF jawans who faced a hail of Naxal bullets in Dantewada, has been fully disproved in J&K where regular army units have been no less restrained than their CPO counterparts.

Given the MoHA's stance on guarding CPO turf, and the MoD's minimalist stance on direct involvement in anti-Naxal operations, the compact on army training for CPOs is doomed to failure. Over the last five years, one of the army's most experienced trainers -- Brigadier (Retired) B K Ponwar of the Counter Insurgency and Jungle Warfare School in Mizoram -- has trained more than 10,000 Chhattisgarh policemen at the state's Jungle Warfare College in Bastar. The vast majority of them have gone on not to fight Naxals, but to soft jobs on the personal security details of state police officers. A policeman can be trained easily, but changing police culture is far more difficult. The same is true of the CPOs.

Do not write off the possibility that our leaders in North and South Block might have read Talleyrand. The Frenchman also said, "Since the masses are always eager to believe something, for their benefit nothing is so easy to arrange as facts." That is all that New Delhi has done so far in confronting Naxalism.

 

[nandu]

Army intensifies intel operations in Red belt

NEW DELHI: The Indian Army is not a combatant in the anti-Naxalite offensive as yet, but it is readying nearly 5 divisions for the purpose — in the imminent likelihood of being pressed into the fight. The Army's anti-Naxal training module focuses on acquiring intimate knowledge of the topography and the tactics used by Maoists. All this would require the sodiers to unlearn many of the lessons imparted to them for conventional warfare, and use tactics different from those in vogue in J&K and northeast.

The Army, which has already identified four senior officers for appointment as security advisors to the worst Naxal-affected states, plans to keep the specially-trained divisions in "ready-to-deploy" condition. For that, it is pulling out troop components from artillery, armoured and other arms to put them through the new training module. Besides, the infantry units returning from counter-insurgency deployments in Kashmir and northeast will be put through the new training schedule once they have had enough rest and recuperation, sources said.

As a prelude to the eventual deployment, the Army has already stepped up its intelligence gathering capabilities in the Naxal belt. It traditionally never had any intelligence networks in the tribal areas of central India. To fill the gap, Central Command soldiers who understand tribal languages, have been deploying for intelligence gathering and analysis.

Authoritative sources said the four brigadiers, with extensive experience in counter-insurgency operations in northeast and Kashmir, have been identified for deputation to the Union home ministry. These officers will be appointed as security advisors to the unified commands, comprising paramilitary and state polices, that are being set up in Orissa, Jharkhand, West Bengal and Chhattisgarh.

http://www.bharat-rakshak.com/NEWS/newsrf.php?newsid=13028

 

[nandu]

Maoist hideout raided, eight killed

A suspected Maoist who was arrested after a gun battle between security forces and Maoiss in the Ranjha forest of Paschim Medinipur district in West Bengal on Wednesday.


Top rebel leader believed killed during the six-hour encounter in West Bengal forest

At least eight Maoists, including three women, were killed in an encounter when security force personnel raided a forest hideout in the Salboni block of West Bengal's Paschim Medinipur district early on Wednesday.

Director-General of Police Bhupinder Singh said here that though only eight bodies were recovered, "we have unconfirmed reports of another four Maoists killed."

It is suspected that the rebels carried away four bodies while fleeing, he added.

Superintendent of Police Manoj Kumar Verma claimed that it was one of the most successful operations in the region since the crackdown on the Maoists began a year ago.

There was no casualty among the security forces.

The security personnel arrested an injured Maoist and recovered a huge cache of firearms, explosives, landmines and Maoist literature.

According to Mr. Singh, both the State police force and commandos of the Central Reserve Police Force's Combat Battalion for Resolute Action (CoBRA) surrounded a Maoist camp in the Ranja forest following a tip-off. "The rebels opened fire on the forces and the latter retaliated. A gun battle ensued and continued for almost six hours following which the remaining Maoists fled the spot," he said.

The police are yet to establish the identity of the arrested Maoist.

Police sources said that five of the eight Maoists killed were been identified as Arjun (a close associate of rebel leaders Bikash and Tara), Sagen, Mala, Radha and Lakshmi (who is suspected to have played a major role during the massacre of 24 Eastern Frontier Rifles jawans at Silda on February 15).

Intelligence inputs

The sources said that based on intelligence inputs received from the Jharkhand police, it was suspected that top Maoist leader Akash was also killed during the encounter.

An AK-47 rifle, an SLR rifle, more than 150 rounds of ammunition and four pistols, besides 100 detonators, 30 gelatine sticks, explosives, wires and batteries were recovered.

Mr. Verma said the AK-47 rifle and the SLR rifle were among the several sophisticated weapons looted from the EFR's armoury at Silda on February 15.

According to police sources, the security forces raided the area three days ago also but the Maoists escaped.

http://beta.thehindu.com/news/national/article458467.ece?homepage=true

 

[ajtr]

Indian paramilitary soldiers carry the dead body of a suspected female Maoist guerrilla at Salboni, some 140 kms west of Kolkata, on June 16, 2010, following a gun battle with Indian security forces in Ranjha forest, close to the Maoist stronghold of Lalgarh. Three women were among eight Maoist guerrillas killed in a gunfight while a large cache of arms and ammunition was seized by Indian security forces. AFP PHOTO/STR (Photo credit should read STR/AFP/Getty Images)

 

[ajtr]

50,000 Armymen to battle Naxals?​

Special Training Planned To Ready Troops For Anti-Maoist Operations
Josy Joseph | TNN

New Delhi: The government may have decided not to draft it for the anti-Naxal offensive, but the Indian Army has started preparing for the possibility of being called upon to tackle what Prime Minister Manmohan Singh calls India's gravest internal security threat.
Army Headquarters has drawn up a plan to keep about 50,000 soldiers — approximately five divisions — in readiness to help the civilian authorities deal with the growing Naxal threat. A training programme, especially designed to meet the challenge that the Left wing extremists pose, has been drawn up, with the Lucknow-based Central Command being given the task of readying the soldiers for what could potentially be the single-biggest internal mobilization outside the insurgency-ravaged J&K and the northeast.
The rigorous training schedule aims to re-orient troops, conditioned to fight hostile nations as well as insurgents of J&K and northeast, for a battle which is to be fought in the heartland, against an enemy adept at blending into the population.
The Army believes that its approach will be radically different from the way paramilitary troops have engaged in the anti-Naxal fight. Army officials say paramilitary forces are engaged in random jungle bashing which is fraught with the risk of collateral damages. Instead, they plan, if and when called in, to create a security grid which would isolate the civilian population from the insurgents.
8 Maoists killed in Lalgarh faceoff
Security forces scored one of their biggest successes in Jangalmahal on Wednesday by killing eight Maoists — five of them hard-core People Liberation Guerrilla Army (PLGA) cadres — in a six-hour encounter in Ranjya forest, 150 km from Kolkata. Three of the dead are women. One suspected rebel, in his teens, has been captured and a huge cache of arms, including an Insas rifle and an AK-47 seized. Those slain are between the ages of 16 and 23 years, said police. The bodies were brought from the encounter site to Salboni tied to long wooden poles. P 13 Army intensifies intel operations in Red belt
New Delhi: The Indian Army is not a combatant in the anti-Naxalite offensive as yet, but it is readying nearly 5 divisions for the purpose — in the imminent likelihood of being pressed into the fight. The Army's anti-Naxal training module focuses on acquiring intimate knowledge of the topography and the tactics used by Maoists. All this would require the sodiers to unlearn many of the lessons imparted to them for conventional warfare, and use tactics different from those in vogue in J&K and northeast.
The Army, which has already identified four senior officers for appointment as security advisors to the worst Naxal-affected states, plans to keep the speciallytrained divisions in "readyto-deploy" condition. For that, it is pulling out troop components from artillery, armoured and other arms to put them through the new training module. Besides, the infantry units returning from counter-insurgency deployments in Kashmir and northeast will be put through the new training schedule once they have had enough rest and recuperation, sources said.
As a prelude to the eventual deployment, the Army has already stepped up its intelligence gathering capabilities in the Naxal belt. It traditionally never had any intelligence networks in the tribal areas of central India. To fill the gap, Central Command soldiers who understand tribal languages, have been deploying for intelligence gathering and analysis.
Authoritative sources said the four brigadiers, with extensive experience in counter-insurgency operations in northeast and Kashmir, have been identified for deputation to the Union home ministry. These officers will be appointed as security advisors to the unified commands, comprising paramilitary and state polices, that are being set up in Orissa, Jharkhand, West Bengal and Chhattisgarh.

 

[Pintu]

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/...ea-in-West-Midnapore-/articleshow/6058707.cms

Security forces combing encounter area in West Midnapore
PTI, Jun 17, 2010, 03.04pm IST

MIDNAPORE (WB): Security forces were combing the Arabari reserve forest in West Midnapore on Thursday where a dozen Maoists were killed in an encounter to flush out ultras who might be hiding there.

The CRPF, BSF, State Armed Police and CoBRA personnel were combing the forest with anti-landmine devices since early this morning, police sources said.

"We suspect some Maoists might be hiding in the forest after yesterday's encounter," the sources said.

The police, meanwhile, recovered the bullet-riddled body of a CPI(M) deserter Niranjan Mahato from Pirjakali near Salboni late last night.

"We suspect the hand of Maoists in Mahato's killing," the sources said.

Twelve Maoists were killed in an encounter with security forces in the area yesterday.

 

[Prince]

India rejects UN report on Maoist rebellion
United Nations: India has protested against a UN report that called the rebellion of Naxals an "armed conflict", saying the violence of the rebels was "abhorrent and condemnable".
India's envoy to UN Hardeep Singh Puri, while commenting on a UN report on 'children and armed conflicts', told the Security Council that the activities of Maoist groups did not fall into the realm of an "armed conflict".
"At the outset I should make clear that the violence being perpetrated by these groups though completely abhorrent and condemnable, certainly does not make this a zone of armed conflict as defined by international law," he said.
"We, therefore, cannot accept reporting on these incidents as falling within the mandate of the Special Representative of the Secretary-General on Children and Armed Conflict," he said, referring to UN official Radhika Coomaraswamy.
The report, which was produced by the office of Secretary General Ban Ki-moon, highlighted the recruitment and use of children by Maoist groups in Chhattisgarh.
"The Naxals have admitted that children were used only as messengers and informers but have admitted that children were provided with training to use non-lethal and lethal weapons including landmines," the report said.
Coomaraswamy did not respond to PTI's question about India's objection but she told reporters the definition of "armed conflict" is contested.
"What is an armed conflict is contested," she said, adding that many countries mentioned in her report claim that they are not in situations of armed conflict.
"What we determine is that there has to be a political dimension to it for an armed conflict," she said, adding the report made a disclaimer that this was not a "legal determination" of the situation being an armed conflict but countries were selected on the basis that it is a "political conflict with humanitarian consequences for children."
The report also pointed out that the Naxal's had carried out attacks on schools in order to intentionally destroy government structures and to instill fear among the local community.
It also described an incident in which Naxalites forced villagers to provide five boys and girls for their armed group in October 2009, and stated that the Jharkhand police had vacated 28 of 43 schools in Naxal-affected areas of the state and were in the process of vacating 13 more.
Speaking at an open-debate on children in armed conflict, Puri told the Security Council that New Delhi was taking measures to address the situation.
"We strongly condemn these despicable acts of Naxal violence and are fully committed to controlling such diabolical activities," he saidhttp://ibnlive.in.com/news/india-rejects-un-report-on-maoist-rebellion/124723-2.html?from=tn