Terrorism Watch

From: Kuwait Times KUWAIT: A recent security report issued by the Ministry of Interior has warned against Naxalite groups' attempts to infiltrate Asian laborers into GCC countries like Kuwait, reported Al-Rai. The report described the group as the most menacing in all of the Indian subcontinent. According to the report, the group has been identified as the one that works among poor farmers and workers, supplying them with arms to wage a war against their respective governments. Further, the report warned that the group has decided to leave India for the GCC states, since they consider the Middle East as their second enemy -- capitalists who achieve progress by importing cheap Asian labor and treat them inhumanly. Moreover, the report argued that there was evidence that the group managed to penetrate many GCC states including Kuwait. It says that this is indicated by the relatively more organized labor strikes and demonstrations, that have been organized lately -- for example, the A

PATNA, India, June 27 (Reuters) - India's Maoist insurgents destroyed two mobile towers and have shut down six others in the country's east, blaming the network for revealing their movements to the police, officials said. Rebels, fearing mobiles are being used by informers, have banned the use of mobile phones in villages under their control in India after hundreds of suspected insurgents were arrested this year. Police said armed rebels set two towers of Bharti Airtel Ltd on fire on Thursday in Bihar state, snapping communication lines in the region. "The Maoists are angry since the police were able to locate their movements through the mobile network, leading to many arrests," said Ajay Kumar Sinha, a senior police officer from Gaya district, where the incident took place. The rebels called local media to claim responsibility. A spokeswoman for Bharti Airtel said they were looking into the issue. The rebels say they are fighting for the rights of the poor and landle

By Richard Mahapatra from: infochange environment An expert group of the Planning Commission establishes a strong correlation between social unrest and the spread of Naxalism and poverty, landlessness and inequitable management of natural resources An expert group on development challenges in extremist-affected areas (read: Naxalite-affected districts) set up by the Planning Commission of India in May 2006 has submitted its report to the Commission. The still-to-be-publicised report attributes the spread of Naxalite violence -- which the prime minister has called the “biggest internal security threat India has ever had to face” -- to centralised forest management, abandonment of land reforms and the disempowerment of panchayats in tribal areas. It calls for radical changes in India’s natural resource management regime. The 18-member expert group held extensive discussions and reviewed development programmes and socio-economic status in Naxalite-affected areas. D Bandopadhyay, Executive

Praful Bidwai H as the Indian government established at least a degree of control over Naxalite activity? And has it got any wiser about how to contain Naxal-related violence after almost four decades of trying? Going by the first meeting of the Standing Committee of chief ministers of Naxalite-affected states on September 19, and the October 5 conference of directors general of police, the answer isn't clear. The CMs' meeting happened barely a month after Andhra Pradesh reimposed a ban on a range of Naxalite groups followed by Chhattisgarh. In both cases, the proscription followed violent incidents. In Chhattisgarh, the Naxals demonstrated their military prowess by blowing up a mine-proof vehicle carrying 24 Central Reserve Police Force personnel with a mine. This sent the vehicle flying 35 feet up in the air till it landed 90 feet away. In Andhra, they killed a Congress MLA on Independence Day. PM assures help in tackling Naxalites This deplorable violence formed the backdrop

By Anurjay Dhal From: odhisha today Malkangiri District Map Bhubaneswar ( Orissa) :  At least 15 security men OUT of 26, who were rescued from Chitrakonda across the Balimela Reservoir in Malkangiri district under the South-Western Police range of Orissa , have been airlifted to Visakhapatnam by a Indian Navy chopper for further treatment, Home Department sources said here on Sunday.  The Andhra Pradesh Government has sent another helicopter for the search operations being conducted by local divers, the fire brigade and the police.  Meanwhile, till last reports came in, about 39 security men mostly from Andhra Pradesh Greyhound Jawans were feared drowned in a boat capsize after they came under attack from Maoists hiding in a hilltop in Malkangiri district.  The police team consisting of over more than 60 was returning to Sileru in Andhra Pradesh after undertaking combing operations in search of the Maoists along bordering areas, when the rebels mounted an attack on the launch.  State D

Changing interpretations of early Indian history Upinder Singh FROM: the hindu History is not one but many stories; only a few of them have been written. The challenges to build on the advances so far are many. The historiography of ancient and early medieval India reveals significant changes over time; these can be understood against the background of the political and intellectual contexts in which they emerged and flourished. The various ‘schools’ of history writing are often presented and understood in terms of one school making way for the other in a neat, forward progression. The reality is more complex. There was considerable variety within the schools; some of them co-existed in dialogue or conflict with one another, and there are examples of writings that go against the grain and do not fit into the dominant historiographical trends of their time. Antiquarians’ domination The 18th and 19th centuries were dominated by the writings of European scholars, referred to as Orientalis