Bharat Rakshak

In a major relief to Centre and states, the Supreme Court today clarified that they were free to use the services of Special Police Officers(SPOs) in fighting insurgent groups in the country, except in the State of Chattisgarh.
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Solicitor General Rohinton Nariman and counsel Siddharth Dave appearing for the Union Government told the bench that the modification was necessary as "otherwise it would cause serious trouble in undertaking the anti-insurgency operations in other parts of the country, particularly, the North-East."

The counsel submitted that the order restraining the Centre from extending any form of support to the SPOs should be confined only to Chattisgarh as the PIL relating to "Salwa Judum", "Koya Commandos" was confined only to that State, and the court had not adverted to the general role of SPOs in the country.

Concurring with the arguments, the bench said it "had no objection to allow the application" of the Centre.

Rahul M wrote:but not from the same section of society. hopefully, once done for this round there won't be any more expendable foot soldiers available for megalomaniacs to play god with.

Talk under pressure

The CPI argues the “verbal duel” between India and Pakistan over resumption of dialogue shows that the rulers of both the countries are increasingly depending on the US even for an improvement in bilateral relations, which “is a bad omen for the entire region.” The editorial in New Age says that, till some time ago, sections within the Indian government had adopted a tough posture vis-a-vis Pakistan, claiming Islamabad is not serious about prosecuting the perpetrators of 26/11. “But the chorus was diluted when the FBI arrested someone who happens to be a US citizen of Pakistani origin as the mastermind of the Mumbai attack. Though our intelligence agencies have not been allowed access to the arrested American, despite a visit to the USA, we are now in two minds: whether to depend on our own investigations or rely on what the Americans are giving out,” it claims.


The editorial claims this confusion was reflected when New Delhi all of a sudden proposed the resumption of dialogue. It goes on to attack the US’s motives: “We must realise that American imperialists have their own agenda for this region. The growing difficulties in Afghanistan for the occupying forces have forced the Obama administration to drag in new allies... The USA needs both India and Pakistan. That should explain American interest in a resumption of dialogue,” it argues.

It, however, adds that for peace and political stability and to fight terrorism and religious fundamentalism, “a sustainable peace process between India and Pakistan is inevitable.” It calls for de-linking dialogue with prosecution of the “presumed culprits” of 26/11.

Pushing for pensions

The editorial in the CPM’s People’s Democracy says the government’s decision to allow 26 per cent FDI in the pension sector was made under pressure from capital. “If approved by Parliament, this will give international finance capital access to roughly $12 billion of assets today...” The article claims that even the “ineffective measures” undertaken by the government to tame inflation — like increasing interest rates — have come under attack from India Inc: “They seek cheaper and more ready access to funds... to maximise their profits through speculation rather than allow such funds to be spent through public investments to build our much-needed infrastructure and generate jobs in the economy, enlarging the purchasing power of the people.”

Although the article says the Left would oppose the pension bill in Parliament, it fears that “the UPA 2 government may well get the pension funds legislation passed through Parliament with the able and vocal support of the BJP.”

CITU on OWS

Another article in People’s Democracy talks about a possible all-India general strike. The central trade unions are to meet this week, and the article asks all state units of CITU — the CPM’s union arm — to start preparations at once to make it a resounding success.

CITU feels the Occupy Wall Street movement can find an echo in India. The article quotes its president, A.K. Padmanabhan, as saying that there was a need for the working class to be made aware of the true character of capitalism and prepare it to change the exploitative system.

“Capitalism is seeking to come out of the present crisis by intensifying the onslaught on workers’ and peoples’ livelihood. At the same time, the struggles of the working class against this onslaught were also intensifying. Europe and the US witnessed a greater frequency of strikes and protests by the organised working class supported by the mass of the people. People were raising their voice against the rising inequalities under the neo-liberal economic order and also against capitalism,” it says. Within India, UPA 2’s credibility is at rock bottom, it argues, but in the absence of any credible alternative the government is is pushing through a similar agenda of neo-liberal globalisation.

@ANI_news: Kishenji was killed in Burishol, Purulia: unconfirmed sources

West Bengal's top Maoist leader Koteshwar Rao alias Kishenji has been killed in a gunbattle with security forces in Burishol in Lalgarh, West Midnapore, sources in the state police have said.

A woman aide with him, Suchitra, is also believed to be dead. Another three to four Maoists are also dead, though there is no official confirmation of these deaths.

Foxing the joint forces for a second time in two years in Junglemhal yesterday, Kishenji and Suchitra escaped from West Midnapore district in West Bengal into Jharkhand.

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Kishenji and his group had foxed the joint forces for a second time in two years yesterday, while they were heading towards Jhargram.

“We had strong information that Kishenji and Suchitra, the wife of a slain state committee member, were hiding in the jungles of Nalbani, Lalbani and Kushboni in Jhargram area of West Midnapore district,” a top counter-insurgency force officer told PTI yesterday.

The joint forces were alerted by the arrest of five Maoist 'village defence squad' members, who comprised the outermost ring of four rings usually assigned to protect a top leader such as Kishenji.

“When we broke the outermost ring, Kishenji and Suchitra fled to Jharkhand before we could seal the area completely,” the officer said.

“According to our information, Kishenji had been staying with Suchitra ever since her husband and state committee member Shashadhar Mahato died in March 2011," a senior CRPF officer told PTI.

This was the second time that Kishenji had escaped after March 2010 when he was reportedly injured in a gunbattle with the joint forces at Lakhanpur jungle in the district.

Following his escape last year, his frequent calls to the media and television channels stopped and it was rumoured that he had been killed, but the police later said he was alive.

The five arrested Maoists of the 'village defence squad' included Prosenjit and Kanai -- involved in the attack on the Silda EFR camp where 24 personnel were gunned down by Maoists on February 15 last year.

The forces also recovered arms in several raids in the area yesterday.

Pratyush wrote:Congratulations to the forces.

The interesting question is when his overt followers launch a campaign to go after the forces who got him.

Kashi wrote:Top Bengal Maoist Kishenji killed in gunbattle with forces.

Police in the Indian state of West Bengal are investigating reports that senior Maoist military leader Koteshwar Rao has been killed.

They say that they are "99% sure" that Mr Rao, otherwise known as Kishenji, had been killed in a clash with paramilitary forces.

Police are awaiting formal identification of the body before officially pronouncing him dead.

The BBC's Amitabha Bhattasali in Calcutta says that photographs of the body have been sent to Maoist prisoners in jail in the city so that they can formally identify him.

Television channels said that he was reportedly killed in forests near the Jhargram municipality during an anti-Maoist operation by the security forces.

They said that his body had been found with an AK-47 lying beside him.

Three other accomplices of Mr Rao were also been killed in the gun battle, the reports added.

A big operation is now underway in Jhargram, with the police reportedly looking for Mr Rao's aide, Suchitra Mahato.

Narad wrote:Top maoist Koteshwar Rao alias "Kishenji" eliminated in west midnapore.

Maoist movement in the country has suffered a massive blow with the killing of Mallojula Koteshwara Rao, popularly known as Kishenji, in West Bengal.

The biggest credit for this 57-year-old Maoist leader is the building of Lalgarh movement in West Bengal, which is now billed as the second Naxalbari in India. One of the first generation founding leaders of erstwhile CPI-ML People's War (PW) in Andhra Pradesh, Kishenji left an indelible imprint in building the revolutionary movement not just in West Bengal, but also in Andhra Pradesh and Dandakaranya (part of which is Chhattisgarh).

While most of the leaders of the ultra left movement in India were either strong on an ideological plane or had only had sound military capabilities, Kishenji belonged to the rare class of being an able ideologue and also the best in military field craft. Perhaps, it was this rare capability that help the Lalgarh movement reach new scales on the revolutionary arena.

Intelligence officers who keep track of the Left Wing Extremist (LWE) movement concede that Kishenji's understanding of guerrilla tactics and strategies was phenomenal. For example, when the Lalgarh resistance movement was in its nascent stage, Kishenji's idea of digging huge trenches across the roads to halt movement of security forces was a huge hit. Kishenji, counter insurgency experts concede, had effectively replicated (Ho Chi Minh trails – digging trenches on roads) a tactic employed by Vietnamese guerrillas.

Kishenji, a Brahmin by caste, was born in Peddapalli town of Karimnagar district, about 200 km from Hyderabad and was a graduate by the time CPI (ML) People's War was formed. Known for his straightforward approach, unlike his comrade-in-arms Muppala Laxmana Rao alias Ganapathi (now Maoist Chief), Kishenji landed himself in troubles within his party often. He was the leader of a Dalam (squad) in which Ganapathi was a member in 1980. He became the secretary of the People's War for Andhra Pradesh and was shifted to Dandakaranya by 1985 after his colleagues accused him of suffering from severe deviations.

In Dandakaranya too, he proved his mettle by enhancing the military capabilities of the Maoist cadres and then he shifted to West Bengal by 1995. Very significantly, that was the time, the PW had only a couple of mass organisations working in West Bengal and Bihar/Jharkhand or in other North Indian States. By 2004 he built a perfect underground squad structure and after PW merged with MCCI to form CPI Maoist, the revolutionary movement got further strengthened. His role in unification of the revolutionary forces is also significant and he is stated to have played a crucial role in merger talks between MCCI and PW.

Kishenji, was once arrested in Karimnagar district in 1977 when villagers of Marigadda grew suspicious of him and handed him over to police. In 1985, police came close to arresting him along with Nalla Adi Reddy (killed later by police in 2000), in Dilsukhnagar area of Hyderabad when he opened fire on the police team and escaped.

The slain leader was a member of the Central Committee, Central Military Commission and the Polit Bureau of the CPI Maoist, and carried a reward of Rs. 12 lakh announced by the Andhra Pradesh government. His brother Mallojula Venugopal is also another Central Committee member, who is known to have been appointed as the spokesman of the CPI (Maoist) with a nom de guerre of Abhay.

Kishenji's death comes at a time, when the Centre has begun claiming that the Maoist violence and activity has declined in all the LWE affected States, except Bihar and Maharashtra.

According to a written reply given to Rajya Sabha on Wednesday by Union Minister of State for Home Jitendra Singh, there were 1,468 violent incidents up to November 2011 in nine States, while the figure stood at 1,925 for the corresponding period in 2010. Maoists killed 49 persons this year, while 207 were killed in 2010.

devesh wrote:Koteshwar Rao is a "Telugu" name. is the guy from AP? I've seen Varavara Rao walking on Shivam Road in Hyderabad quite a few times. My grandfather used to know him from olden days in academia.