M A I N   N E W S

SC notice to Centre, states on policy for handling Naxalism
Legal Correspondent

New Delhi, September 9
The Supreme Court today sought the response of the Centre and nine Naxal-hit states to a PIL plea for formulation of a Central policy to deal with the problem, acknowledged by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh as the “most serious internal threat to national security.”

Entertaining the PIL, a Bench comprising Chief Justice P Sathasivam and Justice Ranjana Desai issued notice to Chattisgarh, Jharkhand, Odisha, West Bengal, Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka, besides the Centre.

Depicting a grim picture of the situation, PIL petitioner Kishore Samrite, ex-MLA of the Samajwadi Party, said the Naxal problem which was restricted to a few areas of West Bengal in the late 1960s had now spread to 180 districts forming what had come to be known as the “Red Corridor” in half of India’s 28 states.

Citing an intelligence report, he said the Naxalites’ cadre strength was estimated at 70,000 — 20,000 armed men and 50,000 regular cadre — who controlled 92,000 square kilometers or 40 per cent of the country’s geographical area.

The Centre’s 2009 initiative, the Integrated Action Plan (IPA), for a coordinated operation to deal with the problem by launching development projects was a non-starter due to the divergent views of the Home Ministry and the Rural Development Ministry over its implementation, he contended.

Listing the recent violent attacks, the petitioner said the absence of a central regulation “has in fact increased the strength” of Naxalites which had necessitated the PIL for formulation of a central policy on the lines of the central and state laws for dealing with terrorism, he said.

Red trouble

* Depicting a grim picture of the situation, petitioner Kishore Samrite, ex-MLA of the Samajwadi Party, said the Naxal problem that was restricted to a few areas of West Bengal in the late 1960s had now spread to 180 districts forming what has come to be known as the "Red Corridor" in half of India's 28 states

* Citing an intelligence report, he said the Naxalite cadre strength was estimated at 70,000 — 20,000 armed men and 50,000 regular cadre — who controlled 92,000 square kilometers or 40 per cent of the country's geographical area