Kolkata: Maoists were getting
encouragement from civil society and support of well-minded
citizens was required to stem the menace, West Bengal Governor
MK Narayanan said on Friday.
"The Maoists are getting the upper-hand in people`s
mind because they are getting encouragement from a section of
civil society," Narayanan told a seminar here.
Citing the example of human rights activists Binayak
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.
Expressing concern over the spreading influence of
Maoists, Narayanan said, "Maoism has become a fashionable
trend in different states including West Bengal and students
in different universities are getting attracted."
Holding that Maoists were a serious problem to
internal security, the former IB chief 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, Maharashtra being the
worst affected."
Stating that 2009 and 2010 were worst years because of
a number of deaths due to Maoist insurgency, the former
national security advisor 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
