‘Naxalites making inroads into cities’
Sunday, May 13, 2007
Police believe Arun Ferreira had a crucial role in the policy-making body
Arun Ferreira's arrest is indicative of a Naxalite game plan to penetrate major cities like Mumbai, Pune and Nashik. An officer with the Anti-Naxalite Cell said the arrest showed that the Naxalites-Maoists had successfully infiltrated the cities.
"We can't deny that Naxalites are active in Mumbai and Pune. And they are eager to tap into issues that can generate sufficient discontent among the urban population," said special inspector-general of police, anti-Naxalite operations, Pankaj Gupta.
As Ferreira was managing communications and propaganda, he may have been scouting for issues needed to increase the support base, another officer said. He said the Naxalites-Maoists have been operating in Mumbai for some time now — often registering their proxy presence through students' organisations, labour groups and NGOs. "We are trying to verify if Ferreira, a senior cadre, was entrusted with carrying out any specific agenda like garnering intellectual support in Mumbai," said the officer.
An officer with the Intelligence Bureau (IB), however, said though Ferreira came from an upper-class affluent family, he might have got involved in the movement to gather intellectual support.
After interrogating Ferreira, police believe that the Bandra resident might have had a crucial role in the five-member policy making body (Maharashtra state committee) of the Communist Part of India (Maoist), which operates from Mumbai. The Maharashtra state committee is a part of the Southwest Regional Bureau (Karnataka and Gujarat) formed by the Left-wing extremists.
Another IB officer said, "The motivation for the struggle percolates down from city-based operatives (the intellectually superior) to the foot soldiers. And the effect (violence) is felt in Gadchiroli-Amravati-Gondia and Chandrapur."
DNA
Labels: Maharashtra, NEWS
posted by Resistance 5/13/2007 08:39:00 AM,
