| NEW DELHI: In keeping with their promise to expand peoples war in Chhattisgarh and throughout India, Maoists opened heavy fire at an IAF helicopter killing an officer. The Mi-8 helicopter, ferrying three injured paramilitary jawans, election officials and electronic voting machines, came under fire from different directions soon after it lifted off from the helipad at Pedia on way to Bijapur, around 5pm. ``The helicopter was barely 30 metres up in the air when it came under fire from automatic weapons like light machine guns... This means the Maoists were close by and the police had not bothered to sanitize the helipad,'' said a senior IAF officer. The bullets ripped through the helicopter, with one of them hitting flight the engineer, Sergeant Mustafa Ali, on the head. Though no other person was hit by bullets, some suffered heavy bruises because of the ``hard manoeuvring' ' by the pilots. ``The engine, rotor blades and airframe were all hit by the bullets. The multi-utility Mi-8s, which have a service ceiling of 14,760 feet and maximum speed of 275 kmph, are also armed with a 12.7mm machine gun in the chin as well as four rocket pods. |
Wednesday, November 19, 2008
Maoists open fire at Indian Air Force (IAF) chopper, killing officer
3 Naxals killed in Karnataka
Stephen David Bangalore, November 19, 2008
source
The Western Ghats are one of the world's hottest biodiversity spots. In Karnataka, though, they are one of the most well-trenched lairs of Naxalites, three of whom were shot dead in a three-hour gun battle ending around 4 am Wednesday morning.
The Anti-Naxal Force (ANF), a separate force to stamp out Naxal presence in the state, zeroed in on the separatists in the Mavinhalla forests near the coffee-rich Chikmagalur district in the Western Ghats region.
ANF, which lost 28-year-old police official Guruprasad in the crossfire, has been combing the forests to look for a few more Naxals who escaped from the battle scene, including a woman Naxal who the police believe is Kanya Kumari.
Inspector General of Police (Mangalore) Asit Mohan Prasad's team confiscated a sten-gun and two country-made pistols from the spot. Guruprasad, who was single and hailed from warrior-strong Kodagu district that gave India its first commander-in-chief Field Marshal K.M. Cariappa among other defence stars, had also fought against Veerappan with the STF in his nine-year-long association with the police.
Karnataka Chief Minister B.S. Yeddyurappa has called for a Cabinet meeting to strategise an operation to stamp out Naxals in the state and will take cues from the way forest brigand Koose Muniswamy Veerappan and his associates were eliminated in the jungles near Dharmapuri along the state border in October 2004 by the Special Task Force, the forerunner to the ANF.
Mysore's Saketh Rajan, an Indian Institute of Mass Communication-trained writer who embraced the ideals of Peoples War Group in Andhra Pradesh before setting up base in his home state Karnataka, was the first major Naxalite killed by police in Menasinahadya forests in Chikamagalur three years ago in February 2005.
Naxals come from a small West Bengal village Naxalbari, where a section of Communist Party of India (Marxist) workers led by Charu Majumdar and Kanu Sanyal led a violent uprising in 1967, trying to develop a "revolutionary opposition" in opposition to the CPI(M) leadership. The insurrection started on May 25, 1967 in Naxalbari when hired hands attacked farmers over a land dispute. The peasants attacked the landlords and violence escalated. Majumdar, an admirer of China's Mao Zedong, preached that Indian peasants and the depressed sections must fight to overthrow the alleged perpetrators, the government and upper classes.
Veerappan used to operate along the Karnataka border with Tamil Nadu but after his elimination the police force began bracing up to battle the challenges from the members of the growing Naxal movement.
Most of the casualties from 2007 onwards - eight dead this year, including six people police claim were Naxals shot dead in July 2007 in the same Chikmagalur district and one policeman and a civilian - are far less than the numbers thrown up for say Chhattisgarh (208 dead, including 123 policemen) and Andhra Pradesh (59 dead) as of last year.
The Naxal movement has been quite strong in the three districts of Chikmagalur, known for its coffee plantations, Sringeri, home to one of the biggest Hindu temples, and Kudremukh, which housed one of the biggest iron ore mines now ordered closed by the Supreme Court over environmental concerns. Supporters of the Naxal movement say that the police have been indiscriminately killing intellectuals who are fighting for the tribal and adivasis.
Former Karnataka-cadre IAS officer Chiranjeev Singh, who studied the Naxal-infested districts, gave a report to the government asking it to spend more money on developmental projects in the region and create jobs for the youth. The state government had earmarked Rs 3 crore each for the three Naxal-infested districts of the state.
source
The Western Ghats are one of the world's hottest biodiversity spots. In Karnataka, though, they are one of the most well-trenched lairs of Naxalites, three of whom were shot dead in a three-hour gun battle ending around 4 am Wednesday morning.
The Anti-Naxal Force (ANF), a separate force to stamp out Naxal presence in the state, zeroed in on the separatists in the Mavinhalla forests near the coffee-rich Chikmagalur district in the Western Ghats region.
ANF, which lost 28-year-old police official Guruprasad in the crossfire, has been combing the forests to look for a few more Naxals who escaped from the battle scene, including a woman Naxal who the police believe is Kanya Kumari.
Inspector General of Police (Mangalore) Asit Mohan Prasad's team confiscated a sten-gun and two country-made pistols from the spot. Guruprasad, who was single and hailed from warrior-strong Kodagu district that gave India its first commander-in-chief Field Marshal K.M. Cariappa among other defence stars, had also fought against Veerappan with the STF in his nine-year-long association with the police.
Karnataka Chief Minister B.S. Yeddyurappa has called for a Cabinet meeting to strategise an operation to stamp out Naxals in the state and will take cues from the way forest brigand Koose Muniswamy Veerappan and his associates were eliminated in the jungles near Dharmapuri along the state border in October 2004 by the Special Task Force, the forerunner to the ANF.
Mysore's Saketh Rajan, an Indian Institute of Mass Communication-trained writer who embraced the ideals of Peoples War Group in Andhra Pradesh before setting up base in his home state Karnataka, was the first major Naxalite killed by police in Menasinahadya forests in Chikamagalur three years ago in February 2005.
Naxals come from a small West Bengal village Naxalbari, where a section of Communist Party of India (Marxist) workers led by Charu Majumdar and Kanu Sanyal led a violent uprising in 1967, trying to develop a "revolutionary opposition" in opposition to the CPI(M) leadership. The insurrection started on May 25, 1967 in Naxalbari when hired hands attacked farmers over a land dispute. The peasants attacked the landlords and violence escalated. Majumdar, an admirer of China's Mao Zedong, preached that Indian peasants and the depressed sections must fight to overthrow the alleged perpetrators, the government and upper classes.
Veerappan used to operate along the Karnataka border with Tamil Nadu but after his elimination the police force began bracing up to battle the challenges from the members of the growing Naxal movement.
Most of the casualties from 2007 onwards - eight dead this year, including six people police claim were Naxals shot dead in July 2007 in the same Chikmagalur district and one policeman and a civilian - are far less than the numbers thrown up for say Chhattisgarh (208 dead, including 123 policemen) and Andhra Pradesh (59 dead) as of last year.
The Naxal movement has been quite strong in the three districts of Chikmagalur, known for its coffee plantations, Sringeri, home to one of the biggest Hindu temples, and Kudremukh, which housed one of the biggest iron ore mines now ordered closed by the Supreme Court over environmental concerns. Supporters of the Naxal movement say that the police have been indiscriminately killing intellectuals who are fighting for the tribal and adivasis.
Former Karnataka-cadre IAS officer Chiranjeev Singh, who studied the Naxal-infested districts, gave a report to the government asking it to spend more money on developmental projects in the region and create jobs for the youth. The state government had earmarked Rs 3 crore each for the three Naxal-infested districts of the state.
Wednesday, November 05, 2008
Naxals surface to teach villagers on development
source
SRINGERI: Valale and Mavinakadu, the remote villages in Naxalite infested Sringeri taluk, had a surprise in store when they were invited to participate in a discussion on development of the area. They were surprised because the call came from none other than the Naxals themselves.On Tuesday, the daily rhythm of these villages was disturbed when the farmers found themselves face-to-face with a group of Naxalites. The meeting was held at an open ground near the Valale Government Primary School. B G Krishnamurthy, the Naxal leader, who was thought to have been arrested, put an end to the speculation by leading a troop of 7 members, which included 4 women.The meeting started at 8 AM and concluded at 10 AM. Ten Farmers, including Ranganath Mavinakadu, the Sringeri taluk BJP president, attended the meeting.Balakrishna, Udayakumar, Nataraj, Datthatri were the others who participated.Interestingly, the villagers were informed about the meeting either over phone or through a messenger 12 hours earlier, but none of the villagers took the risk of informing the police.B G Krishnamurthy also belongs to this village and hence he is familiar to everybody in the village.The Naxalites, the villagers said, spoke about the impact of globalisation and privatisation and how the common man is being cheated by the collusion between capitalists and the government.They also reportedly condemned the communal forces, which the Naxalites claimed, were destroying peace and harmony.Mavinakadu and Valale have no basic infrastructure such as schools, hospitals or roads.The Areca crop, which the farmers cultivate, mostly falls prey to Yellow Leaf disease and farmers are unable to earn their livelihood. The Naxals raised such problems and asked the farmers to unitedly fight against the Government.Though Naxal visits to these villages is common, this time they visited the village after a long gap of 8 months. This type of meeting was the first of its kind here.It may be recalled that Naxalites surfaced at a religious function, Deepotsava, during November 2005 and a naxalite woman addressed the gathering at another place near this village.Reacting to the news about the naxal visit, Chief Minister B S Yeddyurappa directed Intelligence wing IGP Jyoti Prakash Mirji to visit the spot and submit a report to him.Yeddyurappa told the Press Trust of India that he would bring this to the notice of the Centre and request it to provide the promised special grants to tackle the naxal menace.
SRINGERI: Valale and Mavinakadu, the remote villages in Naxalite infested Sringeri taluk, had a surprise in store when they were invited to participate in a discussion on development of the area. They were surprised because the call came from none other than the Naxals themselves.On Tuesday, the daily rhythm of these villages was disturbed when the farmers found themselves face-to-face with a group of Naxalites. The meeting was held at an open ground near the Valale Government Primary School. B G Krishnamurthy, the Naxal leader, who was thought to have been arrested, put an end to the speculation by leading a troop of 7 members, which included 4 women.The meeting started at 8 AM and concluded at 10 AM. Ten Farmers, including Ranganath Mavinakadu, the Sringeri taluk BJP president, attended the meeting.Balakrishna, Udayakumar, Nataraj, Datthatri were the others who participated.Interestingly, the villagers were informed about the meeting either over phone or through a messenger 12 hours earlier, but none of the villagers took the risk of informing the police.B G Krishnamurthy also belongs to this village and hence he is familiar to everybody in the village.The Naxalites, the villagers said, spoke about the impact of globalisation and privatisation and how the common man is being cheated by the collusion between capitalists and the government.They also reportedly condemned the communal forces, which the Naxalites claimed, were destroying peace and harmony.Mavinakadu and Valale have no basic infrastructure such as schools, hospitals or roads.The Areca crop, which the farmers cultivate, mostly falls prey to Yellow Leaf disease and farmers are unable to earn their livelihood. The Naxals raised such problems and asked the farmers to unitedly fight against the Government.Though Naxal visits to these villages is common, this time they visited the village after a long gap of 8 months. This type of meeting was the first of its kind here.It may be recalled that Naxalites surfaced at a religious function, Deepotsava, during November 2005 and a naxalite woman addressed the gathering at another place near this village.Reacting to the news about the naxal visit, Chief Minister B S Yeddyurappa directed Intelligence wing IGP Jyoti Prakash Mirji to visit the spot and submit a report to him.Yeddyurappa told the Press Trust of India that he would bring this to the notice of the Centre and request it to provide the promised special grants to tackle the naxal menace.
Monday, November 03, 2008
India minister escapes rebel hit
A federal minister in India has escaped a landmine explosion set off by suspected Maoist rebels in the eastern West Bengal state, the police said.
The blast occurred barely five minutes after the car carrying Steel Minister Ram Vilas Paswan passed the site in Midnapore district on Sunday.
Six policemen following Mr Paswan in a car were injured in the explosion.
Analysts say Maoists operate in 182 districts in India, including some in the state of West Bengal.
Senior police official Raj Kanojia told the BBC that the landmine exploded at a culvert near Baruahati village in Midnapore.
Mr Paswan was returning in a car accompanied by a convoy of vehicles from a foundation stone laying ceremony for a new private steel plant in Salboni area.
The state's chief minister Buddhadev Bhattacharya, who was also present at the function, passed the same way some 15 minutes before the blast, the police said.
The Maoists have protested against setting up the steel plant, saying it will "increase the exploitation of the local people by the big corporates".
The rebels operate mainly in the states of Jharkhand, Bihar, Andhra Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra and West Bengal.
The rebels say they are fighting for the rights of poor peasants and landless workers.
Cruelty of UP police.
Indo-Nepal People's Solidarity Forum (INPSF)
Date: November 2, 2008
Press Release
To,
The Editor
…………….
The Uttar Pradesh Police on October 28, 2008 showed yet another example of cruelty against the innocent Nepalese women by gang raping them and threatening to kill them if they dared to complain against this crime.
The 5 poor Nepalese women were on their way to the Gulf country via India to earn their livelihood. In Gorakhpur, these women were abducted and taken to Mallika hotel near Gorakhpur railway station by the U.P. policemen where two of them were gang raped and also illegally demanded Rupees 30,000 for their release.
After this matter came into light, the U.P. Police is now trying to cover this heinous crime by projecting the rape as an incident of molestation and eve-teasing.
In the name of 'action', two Policemen Manoj Patel and Harinder Singh were suspended and no action has been taken against involved Policemen Binay Kumar Pathak, Rajesh Kumar Pandey, Binay Kumar Singh and others and the owner of the Mallika hotel.
We, INPSF, condemn this U.P. Police brutality and demand for a C.B.I. inquiry into this matter to Government of India and the First Investigation Report (FIR) of abduction, rape and loot should immediately be filed against the involved Policemen and the owner of Mallika hotel. The medical examination of the women should be conducted which has not been done till date.
We have sent the letters of this concern to the Governments of India & Nepal asking them to intervene in this matter.
Sd/
(Pavan Patel)
General Secretary
Indo-Nepal People's Solidarity Forum
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