MUMBAI: The naxal threat in Maharashtra is far more serious than perceived. The intelligence wing has sent the state home department a list of 56 non-government organisations (NGOs) that raise funds and conduct recruitment for naxalites.
The naxals, through these NGOs, are targeting tribals and farmers who may lose land to the special economic zones (SEZs).
Worse still, the police say they can do little to rein in these NGOs as the law doesn’t permit action against “sympathisers of an ideology”— naxalism in this case.
Director General of Police AN Roy told DNA: “According to the latest information, naxalites are set to intrude into ongoing conflicts in which farmers’ interests are involved. Anti-SEZ fights where farm land is proposed to be acquired are their next targets.”
The NGOs have been under the scanner for quite some time now and are based in Mumbai, Pune, and Nagpur.
And all of them work under the umbrella of the Tactical United Front (TUF) and the All India People’s Resistance Forum (AIPRF) — a conglomerate of groups sympathising with the naxal cause.
A senior officer from the state intelligence department told DNA, “We have concrete information that these 56 NGOs work for naxalites and are raising funds and recruiting people at various levels. The funds so raised are channelled through various conduits that they have created over a period of time.”
The officer said: “Run by educated people, these NGOs are instrumental in conducting brainwash sessions of the new recruits, who are primarily locals and tribals from Gadchiroli, Chandrapur, Bhandara, and Yavatmal districts.”
No comments:
Post a Comment