Gujarat police arrest 10 Maoists

SURAT - Gujarat Police have been able to arrest at least 10 suspected Maoists in the last two months.

Acting on a tip-off that some Maoist cadres were trying to incite the tribal population in the state for violence, the Gujarat Police formed a Special Investigating Team (SIT) and made arrests.

Public prosecutor Ranjit Singh Rathore has informed that one of the recent arrests was that of Vishvanath Varadarajan Iyer, an ex-Customs officer.

According to the police, the ten arrested Maoist cadres were trained in arms handling in the Kerala by a Filipino trainer and Iyer facilitated the Maoists’ training.

“Till now ten Maoists cadres have been arrested. One of them is Vishvanath alias Vishu Varadarajan Iyer. Vishwanathan took training in the forests of Kerela and also gave training to others. The trainer was from Philippines. The police is investigating his activities and the court has sent him into custody for remand till 28th of this month,” said Rathore.

The Maoists say that they are fighting for the rights of the poor and marginal farmers and landless labourers. However, they have been indulged in killings of people.

The rebels have ignored repeated calls from the government to renounce violence and negotiate. Instead, they have stepped up attacks in recent months, prompting the government to go after them in a concerted strike.

Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh has described the Maoists as the gravest threat to India’s internal security.

The rebels carried out more than 1,000 attacks last year, killing more than 600 people.

The latest incident was an attack on Central Reserve Police Force battalion in Chhattisgarh’s Dantewada district, which left 76 CRPF persons killed. (ANI)