Click to play videoNew Delhi: The brutal killing of police inspector Francis Induvar by the Naxals on Tuesday has set off a debate on the reasons why Naxals should enjoy support despite these barbaric acts. Human Rights activists are also under pressure now to continue to hold onto their support.
Home minister P Chidambram has questioned the silence of human rights activists in the face of repeated naxal attacks saying, "Why are human rights groups silent now when Naxals attack innocents?"
Meanwhile, the minister’s statement has angered activists who now feel they are being targeted by the state.
Human Rights activist Gautam Navlakha said, "Any sensible person will condemn what has happened in Jharkhand. But we do believe that this war that has been unleashed on Indian citizens whom you call naxals must be looked into."
It’s the tag of being a Naxal sympathiser which has become reason enough for the state to act against a group of left intellectuals in West Bengal, many of whom are accused of crossing the line by their critics.
BJP leader, Chandan Mitra said, "How can there ever be a comparison between the state and those who are opposed to the state."
From the arrest and subsequent detention of doctor turned activist Binayak Sen to the arrest of Chatradhar Mahato, the man who was leading Lalgarh tribals, many Left intellectuals are angry with the states actions. Questions are also being posed about the manner in which senior Naxal sympathiser Kobad Gandhi has been picked up.
Human rights groups say operation ‘green hunt’ has the potential to destroy democratic rights.
The government believes many Leftist activists are nothing but apologists for criminals. Political beliefs cannot be a crime in a democracy, but the political freedom to defend Maoism in India is definitely shrinking.
Acts like the horrific killing of Francis Induvar have shrunk that space even further.
While the ideological debate remains as potent as ever, the public sympathy seems to be withering away from those who believe that Naxalism's root causes lie in deprivation of the tribals and misgovernance by the state machinery.
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