Kolkata: Voicing concern over spreading
influence of Naxals, West Bengal Governor MK Narayanan on Friday
said Maoism has become a "fashionable trend" in universities
in different states.
Narayanan also said Maoists were getting an "upper
hand" in people's mind because of encouragement from civil
society against the backdrop of protests against rights
activist Binayak Sen's conviction and felt that support of
well-minded citizens was required to combat the menace.
"Maoism has become a fashionable trend in different
states including West Bengal and students in different
universities are getting attracted," he said.
"The Maoists are getting the upperhand in people's
mind because they are getting encouragement from a section of
civil society," Narayanan told a seminar here.
Citing the example of Sen who has been found guilty of
sedition and sentenced to life imprisonment, he said there
were protests from a section of the society over his
conviction.
"We need the support of well minded citizen so that
matters don't go out of control," he said.
Holding that Maoists were a serious problem to
internal security, the former National Security Adviser said
"a decade ago Maoists were present in five or six states, but
it has spread to over 15 or 16 states with West Bengal, Bihar,
Jharkhand, Orissa, Chattishgarh, Andhra Pradesh, Maharastra
being the worst affected."
Stating that 2009 and 2010 were worst years because of
a number of deaths due to Maoist insurgency, Narayanan said,
"the Maoists are targetting mass casualty with new operational
techniques, so only strengthening of security will not solve
the problem.
"We need to take a comprehensive, encompassing,
political, economical and security approach to reach a
satisfactory solution to the Maoist problem."
PTI
First Published: Friday, January 21, 2011, 18:38