ESM 'helping' Maoists: Lt-Gen writes to Chidambaram

Bhopal, June 24 : Reacting sharply to Home Secretary Gopal K Pillai's recent statement that naxal groups might be receiving help from ex-servicemen (ESM) for training and planning of operations, an Indian Army veteran has written to Home Minister P Chidambaram about the governance lacunae leading to such a state of affairs.

"The country is facing a serious challenge from these destructive elements (Maoists) and the fact that a segment (ESM) whose loyalty to the nation is seldom questioned, is helping a rebellious force needs to be viewed with concern," Lieutenant-General (Retd) S K Bahri, Param Vishisht Seva Medal, wrote in the letter a copy of which was provided to UNI.

"The precision and the manner in which naxals carry out their operations and the way they carry out a post-mortem of their operations gives the impression that they might be getting support from ex-servicemen," Mr Pillai had said in the national capital while adding, "the references to words like targets and positions in their literature are typical of the language used in military vocabulary." Lt-Gen Bahri recalled that in the 60s a retired junior commissioned officer Naib Subedar Pan Singh played havoc in the Chambal ravines as he had created his own gang of bandits. The reason for his going that way was that he was deprived of a piece of his land by some powerful landlord and despite his pleas to the persons responsible for governance, nobody helped. --UNI
ESM 'helping' Maoists: Lt-Gen writes to Chidambaram
ESM 'helping' Maoists: Lt-Gen writes to Chidambaram