Chhattisgarh bans CPI(Maoist), frontal organisations

Raipur, Apr 12 (UNI) The Chhattisgarh Government today banned Naxalite outfit Communist Party of India (Maoist) and its five frontal organisations, declaring them ''unlawful'' under the newly-formulated state Special Peoples Security Act.

Besides CPI (Maoist), active in 10 out of 16 districts of the state, its frontal organisations Dandakaranya Adivasi Kisan Mahila Sangh, Krantikari Adivasi Mahila Sangh, Adivasi Balak Sangh, Krantikari Kisan Committee and Mahila Mukti Sangh were banned under the new law, an official spokesman said.

The ban on CPI (Maoist) and its frontal organisations came at a time when the naxalites had stepped up violence in Bastar region, in retaliation to anti-naxal 'Salwa Judum' campaign, which began nearly eight months ago.

The announcement about the ban was made on the eve of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh convening a high-level meeting of Chief Ministers of all naxal-affected states to work out a strategy to deal with the menace.

Few days ago, the state government had appointed former Director General of Punjab Police K P S Gill as its security advisor to tackle naxalites, who have active presence in tribal Bastar and Sarguja region, bordering Andhra Pradesh and Jharkhand respectively.

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