Naxals planning retaliatory action against arrest of DU professor, Home Ministry alerts Maoist-hit states

The top leadership of the Naxals have directed the cadres to carry out attacks on security forces as a retaliatory action against the arrest of Delhi University professor GN Saibaba for his alleged Maoist links, the Home Ministry has said.

In an advisory to nine Naxal-affected states, the Home Ministry said the CPI(Maoist), while publicly denying that Saibaba is a senior member of the organisation, has instructed its armed cadres, especially in Dandakaranya region, to carry out retaliatory strike against security forces.

Besides, the CPI(Maoist) has requested certain pro-Naxal activists and academics to undertake agitations in Delhi and other places for his release and some overground workers have contacted Maoist sympathisers in the media to write articles highlighting Saibaba's physical disability and portray police investigation in bad light, the advisory said.

Quoting fresh intelligence inputs which suggested that the top leadership of CPI(Maoist) is "extremely perturbed" by the recent arrest of the Delhi University teacher, the Home Ministry said security forces should exercise utmost vigilance and guard against possible IED attacks during the next few weeks.

The Ministry said as per its assessment, the next few months are likely to witness aggressive and coordinated activities of underground Naxal cadres with the objective of pressurising the government on the issue of Saibaba's arrest and also carry out propaganda campaign through its sympathisers on the issue of release of "political prisoners".

"In the light of the above intelligence inputs, it is suggested that the state governments may keep strict vigil over the matter and take necessary preventive measures," the Ministry's advisory said. The advisory has been sent to Naxal-hit Andhra Pradesh, Bihar, Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Orissa, Uttar Pradesh and West Bengal. Saibaba was arrested in Delhi by Maharashtra Police on May 9 for his alleged links with Maoists.

The Delhi University professor was arrested on charges of being a member of a banned terrorist organisation (CPI-Maoist), providing logistics and helping in recruitment for the group, police claimed.