Opinion - Letters to the Editor   

Nayagarh attacks

Simultaneous raids on several police establishments by an army of 600 naxalites in Nayagarh, Orissa, and the killing and looting that followed have exposed the glaring weaknesses in the police and intelligence machinery. While the State needs immediate para-military reinforcements to contain the menace, the governments at the Centre and in the State should also focus on the implementation of infrastructure and development projects in the tribal, backward and poverty-stricken districts of Orissa, which are perfect breeding grounds for naxalites.

J.N. Mahanty,

Puri

A concerted attack by a mob of 600 could not have taken place without meticulous planning. It is possible that villagers in the naxal-affected areas gave logistical support to the naxalites, due to fear or sympathy. This only means the government’s writ does not run in naxal-infested areas. This is a matter of serious concern and should be addressed if the menace is to be contained.

D.B.N. Murthy,

Bangalore

Though the Orissa government has launched an offensive against the naxalites in the wake of the Nayagarh attack, it is obvious that the State does not have adequate infrastructure, as of now, to take them on (“Orissa losing war against naxalite violence,” Feb. 18). It was certainly wrong on the part of successive governments not to have taken a serious view of the warnings by experts regarding the scale of naxalite activity in the region. Although Orissa and other similarly placed States may be faced with a resource crunch, matters relating to security should not be allowed to suffer.

It may also be noted that the police alone cannot help in curbing the naxal problem. The issues the naxalites have used to draw considerable numbers to their ranks should be appropriately addressed.

P. Prasand Thampy,

Thiruvalla

That hundreds of armed Maoists raided several places, killing 15 persons and looting large quantities of arms, bears testimony to the fact that the naxal menace is deeply rooted in Orissa. The Centre needs to take the initiative to build a national consensus on combating the menace.

B. Suresh Kumar,

Coimbatore

The alacrity with which the ultras stormed the arms depot at the police training school, the district armoury and the local police station speaks volumes about their well-oiled network, planning and clinical execution. It is unfortunate that the governments at the Centre and in the States have no action plan to contain, let alone crush, the naxal menace effectively.

H.P. Murali,

Bangalore

Naxalism has spread its tentacles across the nation from the coasts of Andhra Pradesh to the fields of Bihar. And naxalites have succeeded in executing their mission from jails to jungles. By and large, the governments at the Centre and in the States have remained mute spectators to the aggressions. It is time something was done to curb the hydra-headed demon called naxalism.

Md. Shad Jamal,

Puducherry

The fact that the naxalites managed to block all the entry points into the Nayagarh town, and launch an attack that lasted nearly two hours exposes the utter callousness of the law-enforcers. The need of the hour is effective action to retrieve the huge number of arms and ammunition looted by the ultras.

J. Anantha Padmanabhan,

Srirangam

Extremists succeed in carrying out massive raids as in Nayagarh because they get people’s support, especially in the rural areas, which could be due to the increasing divide between them and the government.

Our leaders should read the signals and undertake a course correction instead of treating such incidents as law and order problems. Increasing the police strength may be in order considering the gravity of the naxalite menace but that cannot be a solution. The people should not be made to lose faith in the government.

N.S. Venkataraman,

Chennai

It is unfortunate that the fruits of development have not reached the rural areas even after 60 years of independence. Poverty, unemployment and illiteracy force many youngsters to join the naxalite stream. It is humanly impossible for any government to provide jobs to all the unemployed. Hence governments should start job-oriented courses which will help the unemployed to secure jobs in the private sector or start an industry of their own.

Nemani Vivekananda Rao,

Hyderabad

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