RAIPUR: Two days ahead of Union home minister Amit Shah’s visit to Bastar, a letter purportedly signed by Maoist central committee spokesperson Abhay reached journalists on Wednesday, asking for a halt to “military ops” in central India.
Dated March 28, the letter seems to be an indication that Maoists are seeking a ceasefire and peace talks, battered and broken as they are by relentless security operations.
Alleging that the security operation had resulted in “mass killings, arrests and violent crackdowns”, the letter states, “Over 400 Maoist leaders, activists and tribal civilians have been killed in counter-insurgency operations. Women cadres have allegedly faced mass sexual violence and executions.” The letter urges intellectuals, rights organisations, journalists, students and environmental activists to “pressure govt into initiating peace talks”.
Maoists’ offer not worth considering: C’garh dy CM
Chhattisgarh deputy chief minister Vijay Sharma, who is also the home minister, told TOI that the Maoist offer, as it stands, isn’t worth considering and that the letter has to be checked.
“We will verify the authenticity of the letter first. On previous occasions, Maoists have asked for peace talks, loading govt with conditions like ‘pack the security forces into barracks and don’t let them out for six months’. Such demands can never be considered. In reality, neither the state nor Centre wish to fire even a single bullet and if Maoists sincerely intend to have peace talks, then they better constitute a committee or designate a person for the talks without conditions,” deputy chief minister Sharma reasoned.
“It’s absolutely wrong of Maoists to accuse govt of deploying ‘Army’, allege ‘sexual harassment’ and talk of things ‘unconstitutional’. It’s Maoists who are not constitutional,” Sharma added.
“Let me make it clear that the ‘ceasefire’ cannot be considered and those who commit crimes will be punished. Govt has earlier formed committees for peace talks, but now, if they (Maoists) have initiated a peace bid, then they should constitute a committee or appoint a person,” the home minister said.
Sharma pointed out that Maoists conduct so-called ‘jan adalats’ and kill innocent tribals.
“It’s they who kill people by planting IEDs, and then forcibly recruit children 9-10 years old to their outfit. Is that constitutional? The language in the letter accuses govt of ‘war’, which is totally false,” Sharma said.
The alleged CPM press note, originally in Telugu and translated into Hindi, reiterates their opposition to the ongoing ‘Operation Kagar’, which they claim is a coordinated effort by the central and state govts to ‘suppress revolutionary movements’. Addressed as an appeal to ‘Peace Talk Committee and citizens of the country’, Maoist spokesperson Abhay mentions intensified operations by security forces, and urges govt to halt ongoing ‘military campaigns’, laying out conditions for negotiations. One of these is the cessation of ‘military operations’.
“It’s unconstitutional to deploy the military in civilian areas,” says the letter. However, officers emphasise that only paramilitary and state police are deployed in anti-Maoist ops.
Maoists have labelled the govt crackdown as part of a larger campaign to “exploit tribal lands for corporate interests, suppress indigenous movements and advance a Hindu nationalist agenda”. The letter calls for a nationwide campaign to push for negotiations.
