Maoists were getting encouragement from civil society and support of well-minded citizens was required to stem the menace, West Bengal governor M K Narayanan said today.

"The Maoists are getting the upperhand in people's mind because they are getting encouragement from a section of civil society," Narayanan told a seminar here.

Citing the example of human rights activists Binayak Sen who has been found guilty of sedition and sentenced to life imprisonment, he said there were protests from a section of the society over his conviction.

"We need the support of well-minded citizens so that matters don't go out of control," he said.

Expressing concern over the spreading influence of Maoists, Narayanan said, "Maoism has become a fashionable trend in different states including West Bengal and students in different universities are getting attracted."

Holding that Maoists were a serious problem to internal security, the former IB chief said, "A decade ago Maoists were present in five or six states, but it has spread to over 15 or 16 states with West Bengal, Bihar, Jharkhand, Orissa, Chattishgarh, Andhra Pradesh, Maharashtra being the worst affected."

Stating that 2009 and 2010 were worst years because of a number of deaths due to Maoist insurgency, the former national security advisor said, "The Maoists are targetting mass casualty with new operational techniques, so only strengthening of security will not solve the problem.

"We need to take a comprehensive, encompassing, political, economical and security approach to reach a satisfactory solution to the Maoist problem."