Maoist splinters becoming cause for concern for India too

By Anand Gurung
The breakaway Maoist groups including the latest one led by fiery Maoist leader Matrika Yadav is not only a cause for concern for the ruling Unified CPN (Maoist) party and the country, but increasingly India too which is reeling under its own version of red terror.
Until recently, the Indian media was abuzz with speculation about breakaway Maoist group in Nepal collaborating with Indian Naxalites (Maoists). However, this serious issue concerning India’s internal security has now started to find its way into the floors of the Indian parliament – the Rajya Sabha.
This became clear after a senior Indian minister Wednesday denied rumors about Maoist splinters in Nepal collaborating with Indian Naxalites as baseless, saying that there is no valid evidence to suggest the same.
“There is no firm evidence of any breakaway Maoist group in Nepal collaborating with Naxalites here,” Indian Home Minister P Chidamabram was quoted as saying by Press Trust of India (PTI).
Replying to a query on the issue during the Question Hour in the Rajya Sabha, Chidamabram also denied any Naxalite activities in the Indo-Nepal border. He, however, said the government is vigilant and “would take firm action against Naxals”.
The Minister further said the government would welcome and rehabilitate any Naxalite if he/she wants to return to the mainstream.
Chidamabram also said that the aim of Naxalites “is to overthrow an established government through armed struggle”, and they are not for development. “Naxalites are the worst enemy of development as they are targeting schools, telephone towers and other infrastructure,” he said, adding that they are motivated by “misguided” philosophy.
According to PTI, a BJP lawmaker also wanted to know how the government would fight “Left-wing extremism” when it took support of the Left, drawing protests from the Left parties in the Rajya Sabha.
Indian Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh has described the rise of Maoists – also called Indian Naxals – as one of the “gravest threats” to India’s internal security
It is worth mentioning here that India had played a major role in engineering the Delhi agreement back in 2006, bringing the underground CPN (Maoist) closer to the agitating seven political parties in Nepal. The alliance led to the overthrow of former king Gyanendra led royal regime and ultimately culminated in the country becoming a republic with the first elected Maoist government in South Asia at the helms.
Political observers say the Maoist insurgency in India is also shaping up as an issue ahead of the Indian general election due by May. The Maoist rebellion is spreading like wild-fire in India, with reports claiming that 22 of the country’s 29 states are affected by it.
The rebels claim to be fighting for the rights of the farmers and the poor who make up the majority in a country with the world’s second largest population. Thousands of people have been killed since the uprising began in a village called Naxalbari in India’s West Bengal state in the late 1960s .
nepalnews.com Feb 26 09

Nepal: Small Blast Hits Kathmandu Shopping Area

Source: Times of India

2009-01-01 18:32

• 

  Nepalese police officers investigate the site of a bomb blast in Kathmandu. Photo courtesy: AFP.

1 Jan 2009, 1722 hrs IST, IANS

KATHMANDU: A 16-year-old Indian teenager was hurt as a bomb went off in a busy area of the capital Thursday, the third blast to disrupt life in
the city since last week.

Bimal Gupta, who came from Barganiya village in India’s Bihar district to eke out his livelihood in the Nepali capital, was the only person injured by the bomb that went off near the post office at the Sundhara area of the capital, a busy commercial place teeming with shops, vehicles and people.

Gupta, a garments pedlar, was selling his ware on the pavement before the post office when the bomb, kept in a white plastic bag nearby, went off around 1 p.m., injuring him in the leg.

The Indian teenager was rushed to the nearby Bir Hospital where he was declared out of danger. The police said three people were detained for questioning.

Leaflets found scattered in the area proclaimed the blast to be the handiwork of an underground group, the Ranvir Sena.

Though the Sena is a powerful army of landlords in Bihar, in Nepal little was heard of the outfit till last year when it claimed to be behind some minor explosions in the Terai plains in southern Nepal adjoining Bihar.

The Sundhara explosion is the third such incident since Saturday.

On Saturday, a bomb went off near the cargo office of a domestic airline on the way to the international airport, injuring a woman.

Another blast occurred Sunday in front of a high school located in another busy commercial area of the capital. However, no one was hurt in the early morning explosion.

The Sena had reportedly claimed to be behind the Durbar High School incident.

The new urban guerrilla attacks have started at a time the Maoist-led government has opened negotiations with the armed groups active in the Terai.

The Maoists’ success with the gun during their 10-year People’s War has spawned dozens of copy cat underground outfits since the rebels laid down arms in 2006, resulting in new violence in Nepal.

Nepal: Small Blast Hits Kathmandu Shopping Area

Source: Times of India

2009-01-01 18:32

• 

  Nepalese police officers investigate the site of a bomb blast in Kathmandu. Photo courtesy: AFP.

1 Jan 2009, 1722 hrs IST, IANS

KATHMANDU: A 16-year-old Indian teenager was hurt as a bomb went off in a busy area of the capital Thursday, the third blast to disrupt life in
the city since last week.

Bimal Gupta, who came from Barganiya village in India’s Bihar district to eke out his livelihood in the Nepali capital, was the only person injured by the bomb that went off near the post office at the Sundhara area of the capital, a busy commercial place teeming with shops, vehicles and people.

Gupta, a garments pedlar, was selling his ware on the pavement before the post office when the bomb, kept in a white plastic bag nearby, went off around 1 p.m., injuring him in the leg.

The Indian teenager was rushed to the nearby Bir Hospital where he was declared out of danger. The police said three people were detained for questioning.

Leaflets found scattered in the area proclaimed the blast to be the handiwork of an underground group, the Ranvir Sena.

Though the Sena is a powerful army of landlords in Bihar, in Nepal little was heard of the outfit till last year when it claimed to be behind some minor explosions in the Terai plains in southern Nepal adjoining Bihar.

The Sundhara explosion is the third such incident since Saturday.

On Saturday, a bomb went off near the cargo office of a domestic airline on the way to the international airport, injuring a woman.

Another blast occurred Sunday in front of a high school located in another busy commercial area of the capital. However, no one was hurt in the early morning explosion.

The Sena had reportedly claimed to be behind the Durbar High School incident.

The new urban guerrilla attacks have started at a time the Maoist-led government has opened negotiations with the armed groups active in the Terai.

The Maoists’ success with the gun during their 10-year People’s War has spawned dozens of copy cat underground outfits since the rebels laid down arms in 2006, resulting in new violence in Nepal.