Gill's remark on corruption sparks row in Chhattisgarh

Raipur, May 1 (UNI) The Chhattisgarh government's former Security Advisor K P S Gill's remark about ''rampant corruption'' in the recruitment and transfer of police personnel in the state sparked a fresh controversy on naxal violence.

Main opposition Congress ''thanked'' Mr Gill, a former Director General of Punjab Police, for exposing chinks in the state police saying that the opposition parties had been raising issue of corruption in police since long.

Mr Gill had told a Mumbai newspaper in an interview that as Security Advisor he had failed to bring down violence in Naxalite-affected areas of Chhattisgarh because of the ''rampant corruption in the recruitment and transfer of policemen, red-tapism and poor governance'' in the state. Mr Gill had claimed that he submitted dozens of proposals to the Raman Singh government on tackling the naxalite menace, but most of them were ignored.

Asked about Mr Gill's remarks, Home Minister Ram Vichar Netam said it was not true that the state government had ignored the suggestions putforth by the Security Advisor. ''We have accepted some of his suggestions, which are in the interests of the state'', he added.

However, Chhattisgarh Pradesh Congress Committee President Charan Das Mahant said Mr Gill's remarks had exposed the BJP government, which, he said, had failed to contain Naxalite violence in tribal Bastar region.

Claiming that the Congress had been raising the issues of corruption in recruitment and transfer in police from time to time, he said the state government did not take any steps to save the lives of innocent tribals of Bastar region. ''More lives could have been saved, if the government implemented Mr Gill's suggestions'', he added.

Dr Raman Singh-led BJP government had appointed Mr Gill as its Security Advisor to suggest ways and means to tackle the problem of Naxalism in the tribal areas of the state.

During his one-year tenure, the Communist Party of India (Maoist) cadres struck at many places in Bastar region, claiming lives of a large number of local tribals and security personnel.

The worst Naxalite violence took place in March this year when the rebels attacked a police camp at Ranibodli, killing 55 security personnel-- 16 from the Chhattisgarh Special Armed Force (CSAF) and 39 special police officers (SPOs). SPOs are local youth recruited to assist the security personnel on a monthly honorarium of just Rs 1500.

As violence continued in Bastar, there were criticism against Mr Gill within the ruling party as well as in the state police.

Subsequently, the state government did not extend Mr Gill's tenure as Security Advisor.

UNI