Naxals/Maoists Watch

[Zebra]

Maoists luring villagers to grow poppy in Bihar

February 19, 2012 , by IANS .

Patna : They indulge in extortion, but Maoists are also luring villagers to take up poppy cultivation over hundreds of acres of land in Bihar to generate funds, say police.
After a police crackdown on extortion by the rebels in the last two years, they appear to have turned to poppy cultivation in a big way in the remote areas of Gaya, Rohtas, Kaimur, Aurangabad, Nawada, Banka, East Champaran, Katihar and Jamui districts, police say.

Maoists have been paying villagers at the rate of Rs.1 lakh per kattha (1,361 sq. feet) for the upkeep of poppy plantations. "This is more than 20 times what farmers earn from paddy, wheat and other cash crops," a police official told IANS, speaking on condition he was not named. "There are several undisclosed pockets in rural areas, where the Maoists run a parallel administration.

These remain out of reach for police and poppy cultivation is believed to be thriving there," said an official posted at the police headquarters here. "The Maoists involvement in poppy cultivation was revealed recently in Gaya and Rohtas districts, when security forces raided some rural pockets and destroyed the crop," he said.

The security forces destroyed poppy crop in 10 acres of land in Hasadi village in Rohtas district. Rohtas Superintendent of Police Manu Maharaj said security forces found poppy cultivation during combing operations in the village. "We have information of poppy cultivation in several such villages under the control of the Maoists. Police will target them soon," he said.

Gaya Superintendent of Police Satyabir Singh said that standing poppy crop in 20 acres of land under the control of the Maoists in the forest area near Barachatti in Gaya district was destroyed two days ago. "The Maoists have chosen to cultivate poppy in a well-planned manner with the help of local people and its cadres.

It has become the most potent route for revenue generation for the rebels, who have been forced to be on the run by security forces in Bihar and neighbouring states," Singh said. Magadh range Deputy Inspector General of Police N.H. Khan told IANS on telephone that security forces had launched a major operation against poppy cultivation by Maoists to block their revenue channels.

"The joint operation of Bihar Police and central paramilitary forces in Gaya destroyed poppy plants at several places in two days," Khan said. He said the action against poppy cultivation would continue in the coming days. Earlier, police destroyed poppy plantations in Rohtas, Kaimur, Katihar and Aurangabad districts.

Bharat Defence Kavach - Maoists luring villagers to grow poppy in Bihar

 

[Oracle]

Kishenji successor arrested in Kolkata

KOLKATA: A Maoist leader, said to be the successor of slain rebel chieftain Kishenji, and four of his aides were arrested from various parts of this West Bengal capital in a daylong operation, police said on Thursday. A court has sent them to police custody till March 13.

"Rama Krishna alias RK, a mechanical engineer and chief of the (banned) Communist Party of India-Maoist's Central Technical Committee who hails from Andhra Pradesh and is known to have succeeded Kishenji and four other Maoists were sent to custody of Kolkata Police till March 13," chief police prosecutor S C Gupta said.

R K as well as Sukumar Mandal, Bapi Mudi, Sambhu Patra and Dipak Kumar were presented before the Additional Chief Metropolitan Magistrate S. Bandyopadhyay under tight security.

The Special Task Force (STF) of the Kolkata Police along with Greyhounds, an elite commando force of Andhra Pradesh, nabbed the extremists from various parts of the city. An arms building workshop was busted and blueprints and several key components for building a rocket launcher, explosives, Rs.2.5 lakh and several rounds of live ammunition were seized in the process.

While R K and Dipak were arrested from north Kolkata Wednesday morning, Mudi, Patra and Mandal were nabbed from North 24 Parganas' Belghoria late night following leads yielded by interrogation of the duo.

RK who supervised Maoist operations in Andhra Pradesh, Orissa and Chhattisgarh, took over the reins in West Bengal after Kishenji alias Koteshwar Rao was killed by security forces in a gun battle Nov 14 last year, Gupta said.

An STF officer said RK, who had led the Maoists in the first-ever direct talks with the government in 2004, and Dipak were prize catches and it was a big setback for the Maoists in West Bengal who are already on the backfoot after Kishenji's death.

His wife Padma, who carried a prize of Rs.2 lakh on her head, was arrested in Odisha's Koraput in 2010.

The Andhra and the Odisha Police have been on the lookout for Rama Krishna who is also the secretary for Andhra-Odisha Border Special Zonal Committee.

Source

 

[Kunal Biswas]

 

[shuvo@y2k10]

what is the security forces single biggest success against the maoist in terms of number of casualties?

 

[Singh]

Maoists abduct two Italian tourists in Orissa

not a good time to be an Italian in India
===
BHUBANESHWAR, India—Maoist rebels abducted two Italian men in the eastern Indian state of Orissa and demanded that the state government stop all anti-Maoist operations in return for their release, police and the rebels said Sunday.

The two men were seized late Saturday while they were on a trek in the popular tourist resort of Daringibadi in Kandamal, Orissa state official U.N. Behera said.

Police identified the men as Paulo Bosusco, 54, and Claudio Colangelo, 61, but didn't give any other details.

Mr. Bosusco has been living for 12 years in Puri, a coastal town, where he runs an adventure tourism agency.

The Italians were accompanied by a cook and a driver. The two Indians and the vehicle they were traveling in were later released by the rebels.

Local television channels received an audio tape Sunday in which the leader of the Maoists in Orissa, Sabyasachi Panda, demanded that the state government stop all armed operations against the rebels.

Mr. Panda also demanded that the government release Maoist fighters from prison and disband all police and paramilitary camps.

Television channel NDTV said the men were abducted when they were taking photographs of tribal women bathing in a river. There was no way to independently confirm that account.

Orissa Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik, the state's top elected official, appealed Sunday to the Maoists to release the men, the first foreigners to be abducted by the rebels.

"The government is ready for any kind of negotiations under the law, but they should first release the two men," Mr. Patnaik told journalists.

He called the abduction a "heinous crime."

An Italian diplomat reached Orissa on Sunday and met with state officials and police.

"We are concerned about the abduction but hopeful of their early release," said Joel Melchiori, Italy's consul general in Kolkata.

The rebels, inspired by Chinese revolutionary leader Mao Zedong, have been fighting in several Indian states for more than four decades demanding land and jobs for farmers and the poor.

They are active in Orissa, one of India's poorest states. They have previously abducted local officials, releasing them only after tough negotiations with the government.

About 2,000 people, including police, militants and civilians, have been killed in the conflict between police and rebels across India in recent years.

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has called the insurgency India's biggest internal security threat.


Maoist Rebels Abduct 2 Italians in India - WSJ.com

 

[Koovie]

lol now they are 4 italians who cant get out of Índia

 

[Tshering22]

This proves Maoists are terrorists and must be put down for good.

 

[Ray]

I support the Maoists here.

Tribals are not for tourist voyeurism!

The fool Italians were warned not to go and were not given permits.

If they have sneaked in and have been taken into custody by the Naxals, why blame the Govt?

Let the Italians and their Marines come to their rescue.

Foreigners must not take India as their playing ground as they feel like and when in trouble, expect to be salvaged out.

If there is a ransom, then let the Italian Govt pay for it.

Or let the abducted Italians rot for all I care!

 

[Mr.Ryu]

Hahahaaa now this happen in our LAND for 100%, I wonder what a tourist will possibly be looking for at places where there is no road or electricity. They have no business there something is fishy. They come all way from Italy to have a free porn show ??? Let them rot here rest of their life at the mercy of Mao

 

[Blackwater]

I support the Maoists here.

Tribals are not for tourist voyeurism!

The fool Italians were warned not to go and were not given permits.

If they have sneaked in and have been taken into custody by the Naxals, why blame the Govt?

Let the Italians and their Marines come to their rescue.

Foreigners must not take India as their playing ground as they feel like and when in trouble, expect to be salvaged out.

If there is a ransom, then let the Italian Govt pay for it.

Or let the abducted Italians rot for all I care!

well there are 500,000 Indians in Italy. Soon we will see racist attacks on them:cool2::cool2::cool2:

 

[Galaxy]

2 Indians also kidnapped along with the 2 Italians by Maoists. Identified as Kartik Parida & Santosh, both have been released.

And BTW, Most important question. What the hell these Two Italian were doing in such rural, Maoist affected area ? Something fishy. despite of all warning, if you indulge in such activity, There is always some risk.

When you think Life should be an adventure. There is price for it sometime!!

 

[bhramos]

what is the security forces single biggest success against the maoist in terms of number of casualties?

Andhra Pradesh is biggest sucess, cleaned 99% of maoists killed or arrested...

 

[mayfair]

Andhra Pradesh is biggest sucess, cleaned 99% of maoists killed or arrested...

Not exactly. Many of the top leaders relocated to safer havens of Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, Odisha and West Bengal. Quite a few top Andhra Naxal leaders have been bumped off or arrested in these states including Kishenji and Ramakrishna (he led the talks with YSR govt. when ceasefire was announced a few years back).

Unless there is a coordinated effort between all the affected states, these vermin will continue to move from state to state when the heat is is little too much to bear, only to return later. Which is unified operation under the overall command of CRPF is essential here.

Who knows, with the media blackout being imposed in the affected areas, such a thing may well be underway.

 

[lemontree]

And BTW, Most important question. What the hell these Two Italian were doing in such rural, Maoist affected area ? Something fishy. despite of all warning, if you indulge in such activity, There is always some risk.

When you think Life should be an adventure. There is price for it sometime!!

Exactly, those 2 Eyeties had no business being there.
Typical foolish adventurism of doing stupid things and expecting the world to rescue them.

 

[The Messiah]

This proves Maoists are terrorists and must be put down for good.

what ???

They were terrorists even before this incident.

 

[Mad Indian]

well there are 500,000 Indians in Italy. Soon we will see racist attacks on them:cool2::cool2::cool2:

So what National interest dictates us not to interfere or condemn the actions of the Sovereign Democratic nation, that too from EU, with whom we need strategic alliance no matter what(why should we care about people who are not in india?:taunt1

Hope you get what i am allegorically referring to without taking what i mean here literally?

 

[biswas_k11]

i pray to god that the two italian men release soon with no demands from maoist group.

 

[Ray]

well there are 500,000 Indians in Italy. Soon we will see racist attacks on them:cool2::cool2::cool2:

I am with you.

Ideal would be that we hand over our sovereignty to the Italians so that those 500,000 Indians have a ball and Indians here suffer by wasting money, time and maybe, even lives to rescue two Italians who have kicked Indian law and its police warning and done exactly what they wish.

Now, those 500,000 Indians have been sent by India for Indian interests? Or have they gone there because of their own personal interest? Must India mortgage her sovereignty and happiness just to keep other Indians who have gone to Italy for their personal interests?

Now, Sikhs are being killed in the USA being mistaken for Islamic chaps.

How come we are not doing anything and are we having racist attacks on Americans?

Are we cowards or are we civilised that we are not attacking Americans for killing Sikhs?

What is wrong in asking the Italians to send their military and rescue them as per Indian ROE? Let them realise how difficult it is so that they don't give moral lectures to us on human rights. In fact, as the EU to rescue the Italians as per Indian ROE and let them realise!

I am tired of the Western bleeding heart comments of their think tanks and others over Indian handling of military and quasi military issues!

 

[asianobserve]

 

[anoop_mig25]

i heared in times news that those italians where there for adventure sports