Mah police to seek more legal teeth to tackle Naxalism

Nagpur, Dec 13 (UNI) The state police would seek more legal teeth to tackle Naxalism effectively in the state and suggest legal amendments to the Centre for this, Maharashtra Director General of Police (DGP) Dr P S Pasricha said.

Speaking to the media here yesterday, Dr Pasricha said the issue would be discussed at a meeting of senior officers of the Indian Police Service (IPS) slated to be held in New Delhi shortly.

The provisions of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act and the National Security Act, besides other laws, were sufficient to tackle the problem, but amendments would help tackle the problem more effectively, he expressed.

''We will review the surrender scheme for Naxalites in force at present in the state and evaluate if modifications are necessary therein. The scheme has received good response, with 122 outlaws having surrendering in the last two years, but we must prevent its misuse,'' Dr Pasricha said.

When it was pointed out that the lower cadres of the outfits were surrendering and not the top ranks, Dr Pasricha said the upper echelons never got involved with the nitty-gritty of the illegal movement. ''They primarily use their brains and do not get into the field,'' he said.

Replying to questions, Dr Pasricha said the joint task force of various states affected by Naxalism was proving effective and would be more useful than a unified command, which had been proposed to tackle the menace. ''A unified command will pose several problems; for instance, who will head it,'' he pointed out.

UNI