the Centre on Monday alerted all nine Maoist-hit states

MHA puts states on ‘Red alert’

Even as the Centre on Monday alerted all nine Maoist-hit states and the central armed police forces involved in anti-Naxal operations to be prepared for disruptive activities in the wake of Peoples’ Liberation Guerilla Army (PLGA) raising week celebrations, Union home minister Sushilkumar Shinde met social activist Swami Agnivesh to look at the possibility of holding peace talks with the CPI (Maoist). Agnivesh, who met Shinde for over an hour, said, “I have tried to convey to the home minister the futility of the ongoing war responsible for killing scores of poor paramilitary jawans and tribals every year. Unlike his predecessor, he is receptive to the idea and has asked me to meet again in a week’s time.” The PLGA, the main armed wing of the CPI (Maoist), that observes its raising week from December 2 to 8 every year has advanced it by a week this year – from November 24 to 30 to coincide with the death anniversary of Koteshwara Mallajula Rao alias Kishenji. Kishenji, a long-standing member of the politburo of CPI (Maoist) and head of the Eastern Regional Bureau was killed by the security forces in West Bengal on November 24 last year. In an advisory, the Centre has asked all the Maoist-affected states and central armed police forces to take all necessary precautions against possible ‘opportunistic’ attacks and disruptive activities by various wings of the CPI (Maoist) during the period. The Maoists could launch demonstrative attacks on vulnerable economic infrastructure like railway property, the advisory says. In addition, the Centre has asked the states also to be on the lookout of special recruitment drive by the CPI (Maoist) which I usually that held during the PLGA raising week. “The Maoists this year would desperate to go for recruitment drive as last one year has not been good for them with several of their top leaders either getting killed or caught and their armed wing suffering moderate losses,” a paramilitary official said.