Support Naxals, face punishment

NEW DELHI: Toughening its stance against Naxalites, the Centre on Thursday warned Maoist sympathizers — including members of civil society and non-governmental organizations (NGOs) — found supporting the ultras by propagating their ideology or by any other means to be ready to face severe punishment.

The dire warning, which marks a significant escalation and carries the risk of confrontation with influential rights activists, also represents a rebuff to the post-Dantewada clamour for a relook at the use of force against Naxals.

The law, Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, 1967, empowers the state to punish those collaborating with a banned organization with imprisonment up to 10 years. Besides, section 39 of the UAPA also provides for fine to be slapped on those found collaborating with extremists.

Though the two provisions have been enforced by authorities in states worst affected by violence, state governments as well as the Centre have more often than not winked at the espousal of the Maoist cause by the rights activists. The declaration of the new intent came a day after home minister P Chidambaram was heckled in JNU, though the Centre's annoyance over continued support for the extremists from sections of civil society goes back a while.

The home ministry said, "It has come to the notice of the government that some Maoist leaders have been directly contacting certain NGOs and intellectuals to propagate their ideology and persuade them to take steps, which would provide support to the CPI (Maoist) ideology."

Asking the general public to be extremely vigilant of the propaganda of the Maoists and not unwittingly become a victim of such propaganda, the ministry said, "This is being issued in public interest so that the general public are aware that the CPI (Maoist) and all its formations and front organizations are terrorist organizations whose sole aim is armed overthrow of the Indian state and that they have no place in India's parliamentary democracy."

In what can come as a rude shock for civil rights activists, the investigating agencies looking into Naxal affairs along with Delhi Police also warned the citizens to be 'careful' before throwing their weight behind Maoists. This comes at a time when several such activists have been named in the FIR along with Kobad Ghandy for helping the alleged Naxalite leader in waging war against the state.

A senior Delhi Police officer said there was ''growing evidence'' that a section of the intelligentsia was helping the Naxal leaders flee states like Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh, Orissa and West Bengal to set up base in colonies of east and south Delhi. ''Besides this, these individuals are also helping various frontal organizations of the Maoists to raise funds,'' said the official.

The recent arrest of Naxal leader Gopal has given important clues to the Delhi Police in this regard, said senior special cell officers.

The civil rights activists are, however, livid over the directive. Gautam Navlakha{Off course this Navlakha joker will be livid and outraged as he is one of those named in the Kobad Gandhi FIR}, a senior editor with a prominent magazine, said that such a directive from the home ministry was ''outrageous''. ''This is an attempt to thwart dissenting voices and a demand that all individuals toe the official line. Even a couple of Congress men led by Digvijay Singh had protested the recent development. Is the government planning to silence him too?'' questioned Navlakha.{Tomorrow this fool will demand Kasab be released, that is, if he and his ilk haven't already done so. And he will label it as a "dissenting voice" to which no dissent is allowed. I refuse to buy his idiotic and hoary morality which is different from normal morality and vehemently register my dissent. India, it seems, has more than its fair share of arse holes and suddenly these twerps are coming out of the woodwork, what gives?}