Pillai asks NGOs, if they are afraid to condemn Maoists violence

NEW DELHI - Union Home Secretary G K Pillai on Tuesday asked non government organisations (NGO) that whether they are afraid of condemning the ongoing Maoists violence in various parts of the country.

Participating in a panel discussion on “Policing Thoughts or Fighting Terror” organised by Foundation for Media Professionals, Pillai said no single NGO has come forward till date to condemn the kidnapping of a school teacher in West Bengal.

“I haven’t seen any NGO coming out and condemning the kidnapping of the school teacher,” Pillai said.

“Whether kidnapping by Maoists is allowed? Is that permitted? Or are you scared to condemn the violence as the Maoists might not allow you to travel in Chattisgarh and other areas,” he asked.

He further said if government does any thing wrong on its part, it is ready to accept it and also to correct those mistakes.

“If we (government) have committed any mistakes we are ready to face criticism from civil society, we are ready to take corrective measures, we are even ready to owe responsibility,” Pillai said.

“But to whom the Maoists are accountable?” he asked.

He also questioned when the Maoists killed over 150 people in a single district in a year, why can’t it be called a genocide.

” The Maoists killed 159 people in West Bengal’s West Midnapore District last year alone, over 800 people were killed in different parts of the country by the Maoists, why it can’t be called a genocide,” Pilliai said.

He said if the Maoists are murdering people then they are murders, and there should be no is hesitation to call them as murderers.

Pillai said that the government in any way is not policing thoughts, it is Maoists who are policing thoughts.

“During an investigation a Maoist revealed that he only know about, Mao, Lenin and Stalin and not any thing about Gandhi, Nehru and other freedom fighters,” he said. By Shreeraj Gudi ANI)