Home Minister P Chidambaram today made a fresh offer to hold talks with Naxals if they "suspend" violence even for just 72 hours, a day after Maoists unleashed another attack in Chattisgarh.
"Maoists should say 'We will abjure violence. We will suspend violence and actually suspend violence for 72 hours'. We will get the Chief Ministers on board. We will respond. We will fix a date, time and place for talks and let the Maoists come for the talks on anything they wish to talk," Chidambaram told CNN-IBN. Maoists blew up a bus killing at least 36 people near Dantewada yesterday.
Chidambaram said CPI(Maoist) never responded "seriously" to the offer of talks. "They are indulging in gimmickery I am afraid media plays up that gimmick," he said.
Asked whether government forces will also halt all operations against them during the period of ceasefire, the home minister responded, "That goes without saying".
Chidambaram said "if they observe complete suspension of violence for just 72 hours, it goes without saying that police will not take any action against any CPI(Maoist) activist, hideouts or camps."
He said complete suspension means there should not be any attack on infrastructure, any landmine blast or any targetting of telephone towers.
On the issue of Hindu extremists, the home minister said there are evidence pointing to various groups which are supported by extreme right Hindu fundamentalist group.
"Don't say Hindu terrorist. A terrorist is a terrorist. Except in this case, the terrorist subscribe to extreme funamentalist Hindu philosophy. We feel that there are evidence to the Ajmer Blast, Mecca Masjid Blast and investigating agencies are closely following the trail that we have stumbled upon or discovered," he said.
The home minister said investigation alone will show whether the dots are being rightly connected to that one organisation or to different organisations woking in coordination.
Chhattisgarh put on high alert following Maoist attack
Combing operations in Dantewada region intensified even as Railways issue instructions to train running in Naxal-infested areas
Chhattisgarh was on top alert in the wake of the killing of 31 people by Naxalites in Dantewada and a two-day bandh called by the ultras from today to protest the anti-Maoist operations by the security forces.
A day after the deadly naxal attack in which civilians and special police officers travelling in a bus were killed in a landmine blast, combing operations were intensified in the Dantewada region.
Security forces were on high alert in view of the bandh called by the Naxals in Chhattisgarh, Orissa, Bihar, West Bengal and Jharkhand.
The Centre had yesterday asked all the five states to tighten security and take maximum precautions during the bandh. The railways have also been advised to run trains in Naxal-affected areas at slow speed to avoid possible sabotage of tracks and bridges, according to Home Ministry sources.
Though Chief Minister Raman Singh had yesterday put the toll in the attack at 35, Dantewada Superintendent of Police Amresh Mishra said the toll was 31, including 16 police SPOs and some policemen, with one SPO succumbing to his injuries this morning.
Naxals had earlier warned private vehicles against accommodating security forces. After the incident, panic-stricken private bus operators in the area were this morning refusing to take out their vehicles.
A private commercial bus ferrying passengers from Dantewada to Sukma was blown up between Gadiras and Bhusaras near Chingavaram village, about 450 KMs from here, yesterday with the Naxals detonating improvised explosive device containing gelatin sticks planted on the metalled road.
The bus was targeted after the Naxals got to know that SPOs were on the bus. Some of the SPOs were also said to be travelling on the rooftop of the bus.
According to senior police officials, the Naxals had opened fire after triggering the IED. 47 rifle cartridges were recovered from the spot indicating that the military wing of the Naxalites were involved in the attack and the ultras wanted to kill the surviving victims.
State Police Chief Viswa Ranjan had yesterday said about 100 SPOs had gone to Dantewada on May 15 for an anti-Naxal operation. Some of them returned by the bus. Under the Standard Operation Procedures, security personnel have been advised not to use civilian vehicles.
SPOs are mostly local people recruited to fight the Maoists and have emerged as the biggest threat to them.
Mandate to tackle Naxals limited, have asked PM for more: HM
Hints at re-visiting air-strike mandate with cabinet
Hours after Naxals blew up a bus in Chhattisgarh killing over 30 people, union home minister P Chidambaram said he had a "limited" mandate and has asked Prime Minister Manmohan Singh for more, hinting at the demand by some states for use of air-support to tackle Maoists.
Replying to questions on the need for air-support to tackle the Naxal menace and the Cabinet Committee on Security's refusal to endorse the use of the same, Chidambaram said, "I can implement the mandate that is given to me. Now I believe that the collective wisdom is better than an individual statement."
Specifically asked whether he wanted air-support for the operations, the Minister told NDTV, "The security forces, the chief ministers want air-support."
He said the Chief Ministers of Bengal, Andhra Pradesh, Maharashtra, Chhattisgarh and Orissa all ask for air-support.
Chidambaram said he "tried" to convince his government on the issue. Replying to a question about the criticism for being able to develop consensus on his approach, he said, "No Chief Minister has found fault with my approach so far. I argued before the CCS and I got a limited mandate."
Asked if he was unhappy with the limited mandate, he said, "I took to the Cabinet Committee case for a larger mandate, I was given a limited mandate. I will go back to the cabinet committee, I have already spoken to the Prime Minister... We will go back to the cabinet committee to revisit that mandate in light of the revised strategy that the CPI (Maoist) is following of which we have enough evidence and intelligence."
He said the Naxals don't make a distinction between "Central and state police forces. They simply kill."
Killing civilians a Maoist hallmark: govt
Maoists have killed a number of CPI-M workers in EB, a village sarpanch and five others in Chhattishgarh in the last few weeks
The government said on Monday that the attack on a civilian bus in Chhattisgarh showed that Maoists have total disregard for human life and targetting unarmed people has been the "hallmark" of their strikes.
"The bulk of the people today killed were innocent civilians. This pattern of killing unarmed civilians has been the hallmark of Maoists violence over the years," Home Secretary Gopal K Pillai told reporters here.
He said in the last couple of days, Maoists have killed a number of CPI-M workers in West Bengal, a village sarpanch and five others in Chhattisgarh purely on their so- called inference that they (the victims) were police informers.
"Nobody gives the Maoists licence to kill and killing of innocent civilians under the guise of being police informers does not make any of them less than a murderers," he said, adding "it just showed that the Maoists have total disregard for human life. They kill at random and wanton manner."
Pillai said the Maoists majority of the passengers in today's incident were villagers, tribals and innocent civilians. It just happened that around 15 to 20 special police officers were also travelling on that bus.
He said the exact number of people killed in the incident was yet to be ascertained and asked NGOs and human rights activists to condemn the killing of unarmed civilians by the Maoists.
"We hope that the killing and targeting of innocent civilians travelling in a civilian bus is to be strongly condemned by all right thinking people," he said.
"I can only say that the Maoists targeting civilians only reflects their desperation as they find that they are losing popular support," he said.
Asked about the anti-Maoists strategy of the government, he said "Our strategy is quite effective where we have put in our security grid...We would continue with our strategy which will have long term dividend..."
Earlier report:
Bloodbath of reds: Naxals kill 40 in Dantewada
At least 40 killed as a bus is blown up by Maoists in Dantewada, Chhattishgarh
Maoists blew up a bus on Monday evening, killing at least 40 persons, including several Special Police Officers (SPOs), in Dantewada district of Chhattisgarh, in the second brazen attack in little over a month.
The Naxals attacked the bus carrying passengers from Gadiras to Bhusaras in Dantewada district, nearly 400 kms from here, using Improvised Explosive Device (IED) at around 16:45 hrs, officials said
The SPOs, who are civilians assisting police in fighting the Naxals, were attached to Dantewada police, they said.
The IED was planted on a metalled road and detonated by the Left-Wing Extremists using remote control device.
The attack came a day before the Maoists' call for a 48-hour bandh in five states, including Chhattisgarh, from tomorrow in protest against the security operations launched against them by the Centre.
Union home ministry condemned the attack and said most of the killed were civilians.
An MHA spokesman said there was no CRPF personnel in the bus.
The Naxals had on April 6 carried out their deadliest attack killing 76 security personnel in Mukrana forests of Dantewada district.
On May 8, seven CRPF jawans were killed when Naxals blew up a bullet-proof vehicle in Bijapur district.
The Maoists also killed six villagers, including a sarpanch, near Teregaon in Rajnandgaon district yesterday and threw their bodies outside the villages.
Rajnandgaon district has witnessed a series of Naxalite attacks in the past. In July last year, Maoists had attacked a police party killing 29 personnel, including Superintendent of Police Vinod Kumar Choubey.
BJP, which is in power in Chhattisgarh, strongly condemned today's attack and demanded that the menace of naxalism should be fought with full strength and vigour.
"This is a barbaric attack and BJP strongly condemns it.
The government should further strengthen its resources to fight naxalism. This menace has to be fought with full strength and vigour," BJP spokesperson Syed Shahnawaz Hussain said in Delhi.
The main opposition stands in full support of the government in all steps it takes to fight Maoist terror, he said.
The Maoist attack near Dantewada in Chhattisgarh is the fifth major strike by Naxals in the country this year.
Following is the chronology of recent major Naxal attacks:
June 29, 2008: Maoists attack a boat on Balimela reservoir in Orissa carrying four anti-Naxalite police officials and 60 Greyhound commandos, killing 38 troops.
July 16, 2008: 21 policemen killed when a police van was blown up in a landmine blast in Malkangiri district of Orissa.
April 13, 2009: 10 paramilitary troops killed in eastern Orissa when Maoists attack a bauxite mine in Koraput district.
April 22, 2009: Maoists hijack a train with at least 300 people on board in Jharkhand and force it to Latehar district before fleeing.
May 22, 2009: Maoists kill 16 policemen in the jungles of Gadchiroli district in Maharashtra.
June 10, 2009: Nine policemen, including CRPF troops and officers, ambushed by Maoists during a routine patrol in Saranda jungles in Jharkhand.
June 13, 2009: Naxals launch two landmine and bomb attacks in a small town close to Bokaro, killing 10 policemen and injuring several others.
June 16, 2009: Maoists kill 11 police officers in a landmine attack followed by armed assault. In a separate attack, four policemen were killed and two others seriously injured when Maoists ambush them at Beherakhand in Palamau district.
June 23, 2009: A group of motorcycle-borne armed Naxal rebels open fire on Lakhisarai district court premises in Bihar and free four of their comrades including the self-style Zonal Commander of Ranchi.
July 18, 2009: Naxalites kill a villager in Bastar and in a separate incident torch a vehicle engaged in road construction work in Bijapur district of Chhattisgarh.
July 23, 2009: A 40-year-old tribal killed by Naxalites at Ettapalli taluka in Gadchiroli district.
July 27, 2009: Six persons killed when Naxals trigger a landmine blast at Dantewada district in Chhattisgarh.
July 31, 2009: A special police officer and another person killed by Naxals in Bijapur district.
Sep 4, 2009: Naxals kill four villagers in a forest in Aaded village in Chhattisgarh's Bijapur district.
Sep 26, 2009: Naxals kill BJP MP from Balaghat Baliram Kashyap's sons at Pairaguda village in Jagdalpur (Chhattisgarh).
Sep 30, 2009: Naxalites set ablaze Gram Panchayat offices at Korchi and Belgaon in Gadchiroli district of Maharashtra.
Oct 8, 2009: 17 policemen killed when Maoists ambushed them at Laheri police station in Gadchiroli district of Maharashtra.
Feb 15, 2010: 24 personnel of the Eastern Frontier Rifles (EFR) killed as Maoists attack their camp in Silda in West Midnapore district of West Bengal.
April 4, 2010: Maoists triggered a landmine blast killing 11 security personnel of the elite anti-naxal force Special Operations Group (SOG) in Koraput district of Orrisa.
April 6, 2010: 75 CRPF personnel and a Chhattisgarh police official killed in a naxal attack in Dantewada district.
May 8, 2010: Eight CRPF jawans were killed when Naxals blew up a bullet-proof vehicle in Bijapur district of Chhhattisgarh.
