From: asianconflictreport <asianconflictreport@yahoo.co.uk>
To: afro-asiareport@yahoogroups.com
Sent: Wednesday, 22 July, 2009 17:18:09
Subject: [afro-asiareport] INDIA: "Maoists threaten to kill Manmohan, Sonia Gandhi" [4 newsclippings]
Maoists threaten to kill Manmohan, Sonia Gandhi
* Rebels tell Jharkand Congress leaders to resign within a week
http://www.dailytim es.com.pk/ default.asp? page=2009\07\22\story_ 22-7-2009_ pg20_1
RANCHI: India's Maoist guerrillas on Tuesday threatened to kill the country's prime minister and ruling party leader in what analysts said was the most aggressive threat yet from an increasingly lethal and widespread insurgency.
The warning comes a month after the government listed the Communist Party of India (Maoists) as a terrorist group, and Prime Minister Manmohan Singh declared them India's largest internal security threat. The Maoists targeted Singh and Congress party president Sonia Gandhi, and invoked the memory of the 1991 assassination of her husband, former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi, in a suicide blast blamed on Sri Lanka's now-defeated Tamil Tiger rebels.
"Sonia Gandhi and Manmohan Singh have dared to ban the Maoists, little realising that they would meet the fate of Rajiv Gandhi, who was killed by the LTTE (Liberation of Tamil Tigers Eelam)," a Maoist statement released in Hindi says. India blamed the LTTE for killing Gandhi as revenge after a 1987-1990 Indian peacekeeping mission to Sri Lanka turned sour.
Resign: The statement, issued in the eastern state of Jharkand, also gave local Congress leaders a week to resign or "be taught a lesson". Jharkand police and Congress officials said they were taking the threat seriously, while Singh's office had no comment. Sri Lanka crushed the LTTE in May after a 25-year war, in which the separatists had proved themselves ruthlessly efficient at killing politicians, police and other government officials to inspire fear, a tactic analysts say the Maoists have adopted.
"It is the boldest statement ever issued by them," said Colonel R Hariharan, a Chennai-based security analyst who led military intelligence during India's peacekeeping mission to Sri Lanka. "They are trying to assert themselves and becoming bolder and bolder and trying to get more visibility," he said. Hariharan said the Maoists used to get logistical support and explosives training from the LTTE.
The Maoists have increasingly spread out of their rural eastern strongholds and are active in nearly a third of the country's 630 districts, up from a presence in less than a tenth of them in 2001, government and independent data shows. They carry out hit-and-run attacks on police and extort money from businesses. In the mining state of Chhattisgarh, officials say they extort up to $60 million a year.
Earlier this month, Maoists ambushed and killed at least 29 police officers on patrol in the jungles, and counterinsurgency experts say police officers tackling the Maoists lack the proper training and equipment to be effective. reuters
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JHARKHAND
Death threats under watch
OUR CORRESPONDENT
http://www.telegrap hindia.com/ 1090722/jsp/ jharkhand/ story_11266010. jsp
Ranchi, July 21: State police have decided to wait and watch even while studying the seriousness of death threats issued by the CPI(Maoist) against top Congress leaders, including Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi and Union home minister P. Chidambaram.
Late last night, a member of Ghatshila sub-zonal committee of CPI(Maoist) and regional committee, Anupji, had issued the threats apparently in retaliation of the Centre's decision to declare CPI(Maoist) a terrorist organisation.
State police spokesperson Satya Narayan Pradhan said that the threat has been issued by a member of regional committee of the banned outfit and not by the organisation as a whole. "We cannot disclose the police's plan of action as the matter concerns high-ups in the political field," he said.
In a press communiqué, Anoopji had threatened that action "like that of the LTTE" might be taken against Singh and Sonia, indicating a suicide mission.
Meanwhile, the police issued a security alert across the state to avoid any untoward incident during the CPI(Maoist) bandh tomorrow.
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JHARKHAND
Maoist bandh today, state on alert Cops ready for eclipse
OUR CORRESPONDENT
http://www.telegrap hindia.com/ 1090722/jsp/ jharkhand/ story_11264964. jsp
Jamshedpur, July 21: The East Singhbhum district administration has beefed up security at Ghatshila and other Naxalite strongholds such as Chakulia, Dhalbhumgarh, Potka and Patamda blocks in the wake of tomorrow's bandh called by the CPI(Maoist).
The Maoists have called a bandh in Jharkhand, Bengal and Orissa to protest against the rising prices of foodgrain and other essential commodities.
As the bandh will coincide with solar eclipse, police patrol teams will be equipped with night-vision gadgets.
Speaking about security arrangements, East Singhbhum superintendent of police (SP) Naveen Kumar Singh said that policemen and paramilitary forces had already been deployed at key locations, including the NH-33, railway stations and state offices under the Ghatshila sub-division.
Besides, security personnel will escort commercial vehicles, particularly trucks, trailers and long-distance passenger buses, plying on NH-33. The police escort party will be equipped with anti-landmine vehicles and bullet-proof patrolling jeeps, the SP added.
Intelligence sources said that chances are high that the rebels would come out in the open tomorrow to make the bandh effective as they are protesting against an issue close to people's hearts.
But the men in uniform are also ready to tackle any eventuality.
With about 10 companies of paramilitary forces, including the Indian Reserved Forces, Central Reserved Police Forces and Jharkhand Armed Police deployed in the district, the district police are in a strong position to corner the rebels. Meanwhile, a section of residents at Patamda criticised the CPI(Maoist) for calling a bandh on the price rise issue.
Dharnidhar Mahto of Bodam village claimed the rebels themselves were responsible for the crisis. "They prevent development work, such as road and dams in rural areas. They pocket a portion of the project cost in the form of levy," said Mahto.
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JHARKHAND
Rebels flee forest gunbattle
VISHVENDU JAIPURIAR
http://www.telegrap hindia.com/ 1090722/jsp/ jharkhand/ story_11265128. jsp
Hazaribagh, July 21: A police team engaged in a gun-battle with a group of rebels belonging to Jharkhand Prastuti Committee (JPC) in the forests near Chirudih village in Barkagaon, some 47km from the district headquarters, late last night.
However, no arrests could be made, as the rebels escaped into the forests and no casualty was reported from both sides, either.
Police, however, managed to seize a wireless set, five mobile phones, 143 cartridges and files containing names of persons who had paid "levy" to the JPC.
According to sources, the Barkagaon police had received a tip-off regarding JPC members holding a meeting inside the Chirudih forests after dark.
Accordingly, a team led by officer in charge of the Barkagaon police station, Gopal Krishna, and assistant sub-inspectors K.K. Pathak and J.P. Marandi, reached the spot around 12.30am.
Sources said that the Maoists became aware of the police presence when they spotted the torchlight being used by the policemen from a distance. They immediately began to fire indiscriminately. The police retaliated and a gun battle ensued.
Hazaribagh superintendent of police Pankaj Kamboj said that the police fired 10 rounds and the rebels 15 rounds before the encounter ended. "There were about 10 to 15 rebels at the spot. They managed to escape under the cover of darkness. Otherwise, we would have surely managed to kill or arrest them," Kamboj added.
He said the rebels had gathered in the forest to discuss collection of levy only, but the police foiled their plans.
JPC, a breakaway faction of the CPI(Maoist), has unleashed a reign of terror in Hazaribagh and Chatra districts.
Besides collecting levy, clashes have been reported between JPC and CPI(Maoist) members time and again.
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JHARKHAND
Hazaribagh hub for Cobras
NISHIT DHOLABHAI
http://www.telegrap hindia.com/ 1090722/jsp/ frontpage/ story_11265691. jsp
New Delhi, July 21: Next time Maoists try to sneak from one state to another, they could find their way crawling with Cobras.
The Centre has decided to deploy one battalion each of the Cobra force in four Naxalite-affected regions in a strategic move sources said was aimed at cutting off passageways the rebels use to move across state boundaries.
The headquarters of these battalions will be Bhandara (Maharashtra) , Jagdalpur (Chhattisgarh) , Hazaribagh (Jharkhand) and Gaya (Bihar). All four offer access to Maoist passageways.
Once deployed, the four battalions (about 1,200 personnel each) will add to the two already stationed in Koraput, Orissa, and Jagdalpur, taking the total number of Cobra battalions to six, the original plan for the year 2009-10.
Four more, it is learnt, will be raised during the next financial year in Uttar Pradesh, where Sonebhadra is Maoist-affected; Orissa, one more in Hazaribagh and one in Bihar.
Sources said the plan to deploy Cobra battalions - part of the structure of the paramilitary CRPF - were announced on July 14 through a home ministry order.
Although the CRPF has deployed 36 of its 200 battalions in Naxalite-affected states, the need for a specialised force led to the forming of the Cobra unit, which proved effective in Bengal's Lalgarh recently.
Cobra commandos are expected to lend tactical advantage to the paramilitary forces. When army units also come up, the government hopes to hold areas and carry out development activity where Maoists hold sway.
From civil aviation minister Praful Patel's constituency, Bhandara in Maharashtra, the commando units can be summoned into Maoist-infested Gadchiroli but can also cover parts of Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh.
From Jagdalpur in Chhattisgarh, parts of Orissa can be covered, while the Gaya battalion can cover both Jharkhand and Bihar.
Closer observation has revealed that the Maoists have made areas like Bijapur, Koraput, Gadchiroli and Palamau or Chatra their fortresses. All these areas provide passage from one state to another.
A conventional police battalion can cover up to 300 sqkm.
"In that case, see how many battalions of police would the 20,000 sq km area of Abujhmarh require?" said home secretary G.K.Pillai, justifying the creation of the Cobras.
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