India's Supreme Court disbands anti-Maoist militia

[News_Editor]

India's Supreme Court disbands anti-Maoist militia

2011-07-06 23:39:44 GMT+7 (ICT)

NEW DELHI (BNO NEWS) -- India's Supreme Court on Wednesday ordered the immediate dismantling of an anti-Maoist civilian militia in the central Indian state of Chhattisgarh.

According to Press Trust of India, the court said the anti-Maoist private army, Salwa Judum, was being used to torture and kill innocent tribals in Chhattisgarh.

The Central Secretariat of the Communist Party of India (CPI) welcomed the decision, saying that the people of Chhattisgarh were "sandwiched between Maoist extremists on one side and the police and Salwa Judum on the other". It added that under the garb of Salwa Judum, "innocent tribal people fighting against forceful acquisition of land for industries were arrested, tortured and killed".

The party also said that tribal youths were being armed as Special Police Officers (SPOs). The party demanded the complete dismantling of Salwa Judum, disarming of the SPOs, restoration of civil liberties and release of all CPI and other innocent tribals from jails immediately.

The Maoists say they are fighting for the rights of tribal, landless and poor people in the country's poorest regions. They are active in several states in central and eastern India and often target police and government officials, killing at least 1,174 rebels, troops and civilians last year alone.

More than one-third of India's 626 administrative districts are affected by the Maoist insurgency, which Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has described as the country's biggest internal security challenge.

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