RTI on Naxalism: 10,000 lives lost in last 5 years

Naxal violence has claimed the lives of over 10,000 civilian and security personnel in the last five years with significant rise in the number of killings in Left-wing extremism-hit States.

Out of a total of 10,268 casualties between 2005 and May 2010, 2,372 deaths have been reported in 2009 as against 1,769 in 2008 and 1,737 in 2007, an RTI reply by the Home Ministry said.

A total of 1,999 civilians and security men had lost their lives in 2006 and 1,952 others in 2005. As many as 439 people were killed between January and May this year, it said.

In major Naxal attacks, 21 policemen were killed when a police van was blown up in a landmine blast in Malkangiri district of Orissa on July 16, 2008. In February this year, 24 personnel of the Eastern Frontier Rifles (EFR) were killed as Maoists attacked their camp in Silda in West Midnapore district of West Bengal.

On April 4, Maoists had triggered a landmine blast killing 11 security personnel of the elite anti-Naxal force Special Operations Group (SOG) in Koraput district of Orrisa.

The ministry has, however, refused to part with a copy of the Rammohan Committee report.

Former BSF chief E N Ramamohan was appointed by the Home Ministry to probe the April six Dantewada massacre in Chhattisgarh by Naxals in which 76 security personnel were killed.

"A copy of the report filed by the Committee cannot be provided under Section 8 (a) of the Right to Information Act, 2005," it said.

According to the Section, "information, disclosure of which would prejudicially affect the sovereignty and integrity of India, the security, strategic, scientific or economic interests of the State, relation with foreign State or lead to incitement of an offence," cannot be given.

Exercising his Right to Information, Ashwini Shrivastava had sought information on Ramamohan Committee's report on Dantewada Naxal attacks among others.

A total of 83 districts in nine States -- Andhra Pradesh, Bihar, Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Orissa, Uttar Pradesh and West Bengal -- have been identified as Naxal-hit, the reply read.

The Ministry of Home Affairs, in its reply, said, "No operation named as 'Green Hunt Operation' is being carried out by security forces in the Naxal-hit areas."